THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD 


THE 


HEROES    OF    ASGARD 


TALES  FROM  SCANDINAVIAN  MYTHOLOGY 


BY   A.    &    E.    KEARY 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  HUARD 

Neto  gotfc 

THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

LONDON:  MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  LTD. 
1909 

All  rights  reserved 


(9  U 


i 


New  edition  September,  1906.     Reprinted  July,  1909. 


NottoQot  fhrat : 
Berwick  ft  Smith  Co.,  Norwood,  Mass..  U.S.A. 


PREFACE. 

IN  preparing  the  Second  Edition  of  this  little  volume 
of  tales  from  the  Northern  Mythology  for  the  press, 
the  Authors  have  thought  it  advisable  to  omit  the 
conversations  at  the  beginning  and  end  of  the 
chapters,  which  had  been  objected  to  as  breaking  the 
course  of  the  narrative.  They  have  carefully  revised 
the  whole,  corrected  many  inaccuracies  and  added 
fresh  information  drawn  from  sources  they  had  not 
had  an  opportunity  of  consulting  when  the  volume 
first  appeared.  The  writers  to  whose  works  the 
Authors  have  been  most  indebted,  are  Simrock, 
Mallet,  Laing,  Thorpe,  Howitt  and  Dasent 


259890 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 


CHAPTER  L 
THE  ^ESIR. 

PART    I. — A  GIANT — A  COW — AND  A  HERO,  .  .  4! 

II. — AIR      THRONE,      THE       DWARFS,      AND      THE 

LIGHT  ELVES, 5 1 

III.— NIFLHEIM, 59 

IV. — THE  CHILDREN  OP  LOKI,         ....  67 

V. — BIFROST,    URDA,   AND  THE  NORNS,  .          .  72 

VL — ODH&RIR,        .......  8l 

CHAPTER  IL 
HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM. 

PART    I. — FROM  ASGARD  TO   UTGARD,     .          .          .          .      IO9 
II. — THE  SERPENT  AND  THE  KETTLE,  .          .      IJO 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IIL 

FREY. 

MM 

PART  I.— ON  TIPTOE  DC  AIR  THRONE,          .       .       •  147 

II. — THE  GIFT,      .......  152 

III.— FAIREST  GBRD. 157 

IV.— THE   WOOD   BARRI,            .           .          .          ,           .  163 

CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  WANDERINGS  OF  FREYJA. 

PART    L — THE   NECKLACE   BRISINGAMEN,                                  .  l6o 

II. — LOKI — THE  IRON  WOOD — A  BOUNDLESS  WASTE,  177 

III.— THE  KING  OP  THE  SEA  AND  HIS  DAUGHTERS,  185 

CHAPTER  V. 
IDUNA'S  APPLES. 

PART    I.— REFLECTIONS  IN   THE  WATER,          .          .          .  IQI 

II. — THE   WINGED-GIANT,         .           ....  198 

III.— HELA, 212 

IV.— THROUGH   FLOOD  AND  FIRE,             *          .          .  Il8 

CHAPTER  VL 
BALDUR. 

PART    L— THE  DREAM •  *3' 

IL— THE  PEACESTEAD, 240 

m. — BALDUR    DEAD,         ••••••  247 

IT. — HELM  KIM, .  25,, 

T.— WEEPING,          .......  256 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR. 

PAGB 

PART   I. — THE   MIGHT  OF   ASGARD,  .  •  .  .      263 

II. — THE  SECRET  OF  SVARTHEIM,   .  .          .  •      272 

III. — HONOUR,  .......      279 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  LOKI,      .    285 

CHAPTER  IX. 
RAGNAROK. 

OR,  THE  TWILIGHT  OF  THE  GODS,  .  .          ,          .      295 

INDEX   OF  NAMES,    WITH   MEANINGS,       .  .  .  .      315 


ot 


MOB 
GIANT  SUTTUNG  AND  THE  DWARFS,        .          ...        86 

GIANT  SKRYMIR  AND  THOR, US 

FREYJA  IN  THE  DWARFS*  CAVE,  .  .  .  .  .17* 
IDUNA  GIVING  THE  MAGIC  APPLES,  .  .  •  •  195 
SKADI  CHOOSING  HER  HUSBAND,  .  .  •  •  .  227 
fYR  FEEDING  FENRIR,  ..•••••  265 
THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  LOKI, •  292 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


INTRODUCTION. 

IF  we  would  understand  the  religion  of  the  ancient 
Scandinavians,  we  ought  to  study  at  the  same 
time  the  myths  of  all  Teutonic  nations.  A  draw- 
ing together  of  these,  and  a  comparison  of  one 
with  another,  has  been  most  beautifully  effected 
by  Simrock,  in  his  Handbuch  der  Dcutschen 
Mythologie,  where  he  tells  us  that  whilst  the 
Scandinavian  records  are  richer  and  more  definite, 
they  are  also  younger  than  those  of  Germany, 
which  latter  may  be  compared  to  ancient  half 
choked-up  streams  from  which  the  fuller  river 
flows,  but  which,  it  is  to  be  remarked,  that 


10  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

river  has  mingled  in  its  flowing.  Grimm  says  that 
both  religions — the  German  and  the  Northern — 
were  in  the  main  identical,  though  in  details 
they  varied;  and  as  heathenism  lingered  longer  in 
Scandinavia  than  in  any  other  part  of  Europe, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  there,  rather  than 
anywhere  else,  we  should  find  the  old  world 
wants  and  hopes  and  fears,  dark  guesses,  crude 
imaginings,  childlike  poetic  expressions,  crystal- 
lised into  a  pretty  definite  system  of  belief 
and  worship.  Yes,  we  can  walk  through  the 
glittering  ice  halls  of  the  old  frozen  faith,  and 
count  its  gems  and  wonder  at  its  fearful 
images  ;  but  the  warm  heart-reach  ings  from  which 
they  alike  once  flowed,  we  can  only  darkly  feel, 
at  best  but  narrowly  pry  into  here  and  there. 
Ah !  if  we  could  but  break  up  the  poem  again 
into  the  syllables  of  the  far  off  years. 

The  little  tales  which  follow,  drawn  from  the 
most  striking  and  picturesque  of  the  Northern 
myths,  are  put  together  in  the  simplest  possible 
form,  and  were  written  only  with  a  design  to 
make  the  subject  interesting  to  children.  By-and- 


INTRODUCTION.  II 

bye,  however,  as  we  through  their  means  become 
in  a  slight  degree  acquainted  with  the  characters 
belonging  to,  and  the  parts  played  by,  the  various 
deities  of  this  mythology,  it  will  not  be  uninteresting 
to  consider  what  their  meaning  may  be,  and  to 
try  if  we  can  trace  the  connection  of  one  with 
another.  At  present  it  seems  best,  as  an  intro- 
duction to  them — and  without  it  they  would  be 
scarcely  intelligible — to  give  a  very  slight  sketch 
of  the  Northern  mythology,  as  it  is  gathered  from 
the  earliest  Scandinavian  sources,  as  well  as  a 
short  account  of  the  sources  from  which  it  is 
gathered. 

Laing,  in  the  introduction  to  his  Translation 
of  the  Heimskringla  Saga,  says, — "A  nation's  litera- 
ture is  its  breath  of  life,  without  which  a  nation 
has  no  existence,  is  but  a  congregation  of  indi- 
viduals. During  the  five  centuries  in  which  the 
Northmen  were  riding  over  the  seas,  and  conquering 
wheresoever  they  landed,  the  literature  of  the 
people  they  overcame  was  locked  up  in  a  dead 
language,  and  within  the  walls  of  monasteries.  But 
the  Northmen  had  a  literature  of  their  own,  rude 


Ia  THE  HEROES  OP  ASGARD. 

as  it  was."  Songs  and  sagas,  mythical  and  heroic, 
were  the  staple  of  this  literature  of  the  north ;  and 
these  appear  to  have  been  handed  down  by  word  of 
mouth  from  skald  to  skald  until  about  the  beginning 
of  the  twelfth  century.  Then  Saemund  the  Learned, 
and  others,  began  to  commit  them  to  writing. 
Saemund  the  Learned  was  bom  in  Iceland  about 
the  year  1057,  fifty  years  after  Christianity  had 
been  positively  established  in  that  island.  He 
passed  his  youth  in  Germany,  France,  and  Italy, 
studying  at  one  time  with  a  famous  master,  "by 
whom  he  was  instructed  in  every  kind  of  lore." 
So  full,  indeed,  did  Saemund's  head  become  of  all 
that  he  had  learnt,  that  he  frequently  "forgot  the 
commonest  things,"  even  his  own  name  and 
identity,  so  that  when  asked  who  he  was,  he 
would  give  the  name  of  any  one  he  had  been 
reading  about  He  was  also  said  to  be  an  astrologer, 
and  a  charming  little  anecdote  is  related  of  him  in 
this  capacity,  which,  however,  would  be  out  of 
place  here.  When  he  went  back  to  Iceland,  he 
became  priest  of  Oddi,  instructed  the  people  about 
him,  studied  the  old  religion,  and,  besides  writing 


INTRODUCTION. 


a  history  of  Norway  and  Iceland,  which  has  been 
lost,  transcribed  several  of  the  mythic  and  heroic 
songs  of  the  North,  which  together  form  a  collection 
known  by  the  name  of  the  Poetic,  Elder,  or 
Scemund's  Edda.  The  songs  themselves  are  sup- 
posed to  date  from  about  the  eighth  century ; 
Ssemund  wrote  them  down  in  the  twelfth.  The 
oldest  copy  of  his  original  MS.  is  of  the  four- 
teenth century,  and  this  copy  is  now  in  the  Royal 
Library  of  Copenhagen.  A  few  years  ago  they 
were  translated  into  English  by  B.  Thorpe.  So 
much  for  the  history  of  the  Elder  Edda — great- 
grandmother  the  name  is  said  to  mean,  but  after 
all  she  scarcely  seems  old  enough  to  be  called  a 
great-grandmother.  We  have  traced  her  growing 
up,  and  seen  how  she  has  dressed  herself,  and  we 
begin  to  think  of  her  almost  as  a  modern  young 
lady.  When  we  listen  to  the  odd  jumble  of  tales 
she  tells  us,  too,  we  are  more  than  half  inclined 
to  quarrel  with  her,  though  without  exactly  know- 
ing whether  it  is  with  her  youth  or  her  age  that 
we  find  fault  You  are  too  young  to  know  what 
you  are  talking  about,  great-grandmother,  we  com- 


I4  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

plain ;  but,  oh  dear !  you  mumble  so  and  make 
use  of  such  odd  old-fashioned  words  we  can  scarcely 
understand  you.  Saemund  was  not  the  only  man 
who  wrote  down  songs  and  sagas;  he  had  some 
contemporaries,  many  successors;  and,  about  fifty 
years  after  his  death,  we  hear  of  Snorro  Sturleson, 
a  rich  man,  twice  Supreme  Magistrate  of  the 
Icelandic  Republic,  who  also  lived  for  some  time 
at  Oddi,  and  who  has  left  many  valuable  additions 
to  the  stock  of  Icelandic  written  lore.  Laing  says 
of  him — "Snorro  Sturleson  has  done  for  the 
history  of  the  Northmen,  what  Livy  did  for  the 
history  of  the  Romans."  Amongst  other  things,  he 
wrote  a  sort  of  commentary  or  enlargement  of 
Saemund's  Edda%  probably  drawn  from  MSS.  of 
Saemund  and  of  others,  which  were  preserved  at  Oddi. 
This  is  called  the  Prose,  Younger,  or  Snorrds 
Edda,  and  was  translated  many  years  ago  by  M. 
Mallet  into  French.  Added  to  these  two  sources 
of  information  respecting  the  Scandinavian  myth- 
ology, there  are  many  allusions  to  the  myths 
scattered  through  the  heroic  lays  with  which 
Northern  literature  abounds. 


1NTROD  UCTION. 


The  Poetic  Edda  consists  of  two  parts  —  the 
mythological  and  the  heroic.  The  mythological 
songs  contain  an  account  of  the  formation  and 
destruction  of  the  world,  of  the  origin,  genealogies, 
adventures,  journeys,  conversations  of  the  gods, 
magic  incantations,  and  one  lay  which  may  be 
called  ethical.  This  portion  of  the  Edda  con- 
cludes with  a  song  called  "The  Song  of  the 
Sun,"  of  which  it  is  supposed  Ssemund  himself 
was  the  author.  Thorpe,  the  English  translator, 
says,  "It  exhibits  a  strange  mixture  of  Christianity 
and  heathenism,  whence  it  would  seem  that  the 
poet's  own  religion  was  in  a  transition  state.  We 
may  as  well  remark  here  that  the  only  allusion 
to  Christianity  in  the  Elder  Edda,  with  the  exception 
of  this  last  song,  which  stands  quite  alone,  is  a 
single  strophe  in  an  incantation  :  — 


"An  eighth  I  will  sing  to 
If  night  overtake  thee, 
When  out  on  the  misty  way, 
That  the  dead  Christian  woman 
No  power  may  have  to  do  thee  harm." 

Which    savours    curiously    of     the    horror    which 


16  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

these    heathens    then    evidently   felt    of    the    new 
faith. 

The  Younger  Edda  is  a  very  queer  old  lady 
indeed.  She  begins  by  telling  a  sort  of  story.  She 
says  "  there  was  once  a  King  called  Gylfi,  renowned 
for  his  wisdom  and  skill  in  magic ;"  he  being  seized 
with  a  desire  to  know  all  about  the  gods,  and 
wishing  also  to  get  his  information  first-hand,  sets 
off  on  a  journey  to  Asgard  itself,  the  gods'  own 
abode.  When  he  gets  there  he  finds  a  mysterious 
Three  seated  upon  three  thrones — the  High,  the 
Equally  High,  and  the  Third.  The  story-teller  is 
supposed  to  have  taken  this  picture  from  a  temple  at 
Upsal,  where  the  thrones  of  Odin,  Thor,  and  Frey 
were  placed  in  the  same  manner,  one  above  another. 
Gylfi  introduces  himself  as  Gangler,  a  name  for 
traveller  (connected  with  the  present  Scotch  word 
gang),  and  proceeded  to  question  the  Three  upon  the 
origin  of  the  world,  the  nature  and  adventures 
of  the  gods,  &c,  &c.  Gangler's  questions,  and 
the  answers  which  he  receives,  will,  with  reference 
to  the  Elder  Edda  talcs,  help  us  to  get  just  the 
»hort  summary  we  want  of  the  Scandinavian  myth- 


INTRODUCTION. 


ology — the    mythology    grown    up    and    old,    and 
frozen  tight,  as  we  find  it  in  the  Eddas. 

"What  was  the  beginning  of  things?"  asks  Gangler  j 
and  Har  (the  highest  of  the  Three),  replying  in  the 
words  of  an  ancient  poem,  says,— 

"  Once  was  the  age 
When  all  was  not—- 
No sand,  nor  sea, 
No  salt  waves, 
No  earth  was  found, 
Nor  over-skies, 
But  yawning  precipice 
And  nowhere  grass." 

This  nothingness  was  called  Ginnungagap,  the  gap 
of  gaps,  the  gaping  of  the  chasms :  and  Har  goes  on 
to  relate  what  took  place  in  it.  On  the  north  side  of 
Ginnungagap,  he  says,  lay  Niflheim,  the  shadowy 
nebulous  home  of  freezing  cold  and  gathering  gloom ; 
but  on  the  south  lay  the  glowing  region  of  Mus- 
pellheim.  There  was  besides  a  roaring  cauldron 
called  Hvergelmir,  which  seethed  in  the  middle  of 
Niflheim,  and  sent  forth  twelve  rivers  called  the 
strange  waves;  these  flowed  into  the  gap  and  froze 
there,  and  so  filled  the  gap  with  ice:  but  sparks 


l8  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

and  flakes  of  fire  from  Muspellheim  fell  upon  the 
ice.  Ginnungagap  on  the  north  side  was  now 
filled  with  ice  and  vapour  and  fleeting  mists  and 
whirlwinds,  but  southwards  with  glowing  radiancy, 
with  calm  and  light  and  wind — still  air;  and  so, 
continues  Har,  the  heat  met  the  frost,  the  frost 
melted  into  drops,  the  drops  quickened  into  life, 
and  there  was  a  human  form  called  Ymir,  a  giant 
"Was  he  a  god?"  asks  Gangler.  "Oh!  dear  no," 
answers  Har ;  "  we  are  very  far  indeed  from  believing 
him  to  have  been  a  god;  he  was  wicked  and  the 
father  of  all  the  Frost  Giants."  "  I  wonder  what  he 
ate  ?"  said  Gangler.  "  There  was  a  cow,"  Har  went 
on  to  explain;  "she  was  made  out  of  the  drops, 
too,  and  the  giant  fed  upon  her  milk."  "  Good," 
answered  Gangler;  "but  what  fed  the  cow?'*  "  Slu 
licked  the  stones  of  Ginnungagap,  which  were 
covered  with  salt  hoar  frost;"  and  then  Har  goes 
on  to  relate  how  by  degrees  a  man,  Bur,  grew  up 
out  of  the  stones  as  the  cow  licked  them,  good, 
not  like  Ymir,  but  the  father  of  the  gods;  and  here 
we  may  remark  that  the  giant  and  the  god  equally 
the  sole  progenitors  of  their  immediate  descend- 


INTRO D  UCTION. 


ants.  Ymir  was  the  father  of  the  first  giant,  Bur 
had  a  son  called  Bor.  But  after  that  the  races  mix 
to  a  certain  extent,  for  Bor  married  a  giantess  and 
became  the  father  of  three  sons,  Odin,  Vili  and  Ve. 

"Was  there  any  degree  of  good  understanding 
between  these  two  races?"  asks  Gangler.  "Far 
from  it,"  replies  Har;  and  then  he  tells  how  the 
sons  of  the  god  slew  all  the  frost  giants  but  one, 
dragged  the  body  of  old  Ymir  into  the  middle  of 
Ginnungagap,  made  the  earth  out  of  it, — "  from  his 
blood  the  seas,  from  his  flesh  the  land,  from  his 
bones  the  mountains,  of  his  hair  the  trees,  of  his 
skull  the  heavens  and  of  his  brains  the  clouds. 
Then  the^  took  wandering  flakes  from  Muspellheim, 
and  placed  them  in  the  heavens."  Until  this  time, 
says  the  Voluspd. 

"  The  sun  knew  not 
Where  she  a  dwelling  had, 
The  moon  knew  not 
What  power  he  possessed, 
The  stars  knew  not 
Where  they  had  a  station." 

About  this  time  it  happened  that  the  sons  of 
the  god  took  a  walk  along  the  sea-beach,  and  there 


20  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

found  two  stems  of  wood  which  they  fasnioiied  into 
the  first  man  and  woman  : — 

•'  Spirit  gave  them  Odin 
Sense  gave  Hoenir 
Blood  gave  Lodin  (Loki) 
And  goodly  colour." 

After  this  it  is  said  that  the  all-holy  gods,  the 
^Esir,  the  Lords,  went  to  their  judgment  seats,  held 
council,  and  gave  names  to  the  "  night  and  to  the 
waning  moon,  morn,  midday,  afternoon,  and  eve 
whereby  to  reckon  years."  Then  they  built  a  city 
called  Asgard  in  the  middle  of  the  earth,  altars  and 
temples,  "  made  furnaces,  forged  tongs  and  fabricated 
tools  and  precious  things;"  after  which  they  stayed 
at  home  and  played  joyously  with  tables.  This 
was  the  golden  age  of  the  gods;  they  were  happy. 
"To  them,"  says  the  old  song,  "was  naught  the 
want  of  gold,  until  there  came  three  maids  all 
powerful  from  the  giants." 

In  some  mysterious  way  it  appears  that  a  desire 
for  gold  seized  upon  the  gods  in  the  midst  of  their 
innocent  golden  play.  Then  they  formed  the  dwarfs, 
in  order  that  these  might  get  gold  for  them  out  of  the 


INTRODUCTION.  2i 

earth.  The  dwarfs  till  then  had  been  just  like  mag- 
gots in  Ymir's  dead  flesh,  but  now  received  human 
likeness.  A  shadow  begins  to  creep  over  the  earth, 
the  golden  age  is  past.  At  the  same  time  three 
things  happen.  The  gods  discover  the  use  or 
want  of  gold ;  the  first  war  breaks  ,out,  as  it  is  said, 
"Odin  hurled  his  spear  amid  the  people,  and  then 
was  the  first  war;"  and  the  three  all-powerful  giant 
maids  appear.  "  Gold,"  says  the  old  song  (and  calls 
her  by  a  name  as  if  she  were  a  person),  "  they  pierced 
with  lances, — 

"And  in  the  High  one's  Hall 
Burnt  her  once, 
Burnt  her  thrice, 
Oft  not  seldom, 
Yet  she  still  lives. 
Wolves  she  tamed, 
Magic  arts  she  knew,  she  practised, 
Ever  was  she  the  joy 
Of  evil  people." 

The  three  giant  maidens  are  the  three  Fates — the 
sisters, — Past,  Present  and  Future.  They  came 
from  giant  land,  which  in  this  place  typifies  the 
first  mixed  cause  of  all  things;  they  came  at  the 
moment  when  the  golden  age  was  disappearing;  they 


22  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

stand  upon  the  very  edge  of  its  existence,  at  once 
the  bringers  and  the  avengers  of  evil  "  The  golden 
age  ceased  when  gold  was  invented,"  is  an  old 
saying.  "After  the  golden  age,  time  begins"  is 
another,  or,  in  the  words  of  a  German  proverb, 
"To  the  happy  no  hour  strikes."  And  now  let 
us  see  what  sort  of  looking  world  these  giants,  gods, 
men,  dwarfs  and  fateful  maids  whom  Har  has  been 
talking  about  were  living  in. 

"Round  without,"  Har  says  so;  but  a  fat  round. 
The  outmost  circle  a  frozen  region  full  of  frost 
giants ;  inside  that  circle,  the  sea ;  in  the  middle  of 
the  sea,  the  earth  in  which  men  live,  called  Midgard, 
and  made  out  of  Ymir's  eyebrows;  in  the  midst  of 
the  earth  Asgard,  the  city  of  the  gods.  It  seems 
to  be  rather  a  disputed  point  whether  or  not  Asgard 
was  on  the  top  of  a  hill.  Heavenly  mountains  are 
mentioned  in  the  Edda,  but  they  are  placed  at  the 
edge  of  heaven  under  one  end  of  the  rainbow,  not 
at  all  near  Asgard,  if  Asgard  was  in  the  middle  of 
the  earth.  However,  to  make  the  city  more  con- 
spicuous we  have  placed  it  on  the  summit  of  a  hill 
in  the  picture  of  the  Scandinavian  World  which 


INTRODUCTION. 


stands  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  and  here 
remark  that  this  picture  must  not  be  looked  at 
exactly  in  a  geographical  light  even  from  a  Scandi- 
navian point  of  view.  It  is  rather  an  expression  of 
ideas  than  of  places,  for  we  have  tried  to  figure  by 
it  what  is  said  about  the  great  World  Tree  Yggdrassil 
and  its  three  roots.  "  That  ash,  "  says  Har,  which 
was  indeed  the  earth-bearer,  "is  the  greatest  and 
best  of  all  trees."  Its  branches  spread  over  the 
whole  world  and  even  reach  above  heaven.  It 
has  three  roots,  very  wide  asunder.  One  of  them 
goes  down  to  Ginnungagap.  The  frost  giants  live 
over  it,  and  over  this  root  is  a  deep  well  which  we 
shall  hear  more  of  by-and-bye.  In  the  picture  this 
root  could  not  be  shown,  but  the  branches  which 
encircle  the  ice  region  are  supposed  to  spring  from 
it  Another  root  extends  to  Niflheim,  the  old  roaring 
cauldron  lies  under  it,  a  great  snake  called  Nidhogg 
gnaws  it  night  and  day  as  the  old  lay  says. 
"Yggdrasil's  ash  suffers  greater  hardship  than 
men  know  of.  Nidhogg  tears  it"  Under  this  root 
also  lies  Helheim,  a  home  of  the  dead.  The  third 
root  is  in  heaven  :  gods  and  men  live  under  it,  in 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


Asgard  and  Midgard;  the  giant  fate-sisters  also  live 
under  it,  at  the  top  of  the  Rainbow's  arch  in  their 
palace  very  beauteous,  which  stands  by  the  Holy 
Urda  Fount.  They  water  the  tree  every  day  with 
the  holy  water,  so  that  ever  "it  stands  green  over 
Urda's  Fount." 

These  maidens  are  called  Norns; — they  fix  the 
destinies  of  men,  Har  says;  "but  besides  them/' 
he  adds,  "there  are  a  great  many  other  norns — 
indeed,  for  each  man  that  is  born  there  is  a  norn 
to  decide  his  fate." 

"  Methinks,  then,"  says  Gangler,  "  that  these  Norns 
were  born  far  asunder;  they  are  not  of  the  same 
race,"  "Some  belong  to  the  JEsir,  some  come 
from  the  Elves,  and  some  are  dwarfs'  daughters." 
Besides  these  wonders,  we  are  told  that  an  eagle 
perched  amongst  the  highest  branches  of  Yggdrasil 
with  a  hawk  between  his  eyes,  four  harts  ran 
amongst  the  branches  and  bit  off  the  buds,  and  a 
squirrel  called  Ratatosk  or  branch  borer  ran  up 
and  down,  carrying  messages  between  the  Eagle 
and  Nidhogg,  as  one  account  says,  causing  strife 
between  them — a  kind  of  typical  busybody,  in  fact 


INTRODUCTION.  35 

Such  is  the  myth  of  Yggdrasil,  of  which  Jacob 
Grimm  remarks  "it  bears  the  stamp  of  a  very 
high  antiquity,  but  does  not  appear  to  be  fully 
unfolded."  Of  course,  it  was  only  the  symbol  of 
a  thought,  the  Scandinavians  could  not  have  believed 
that  there  was  such  a  tree.  But  of  what  thought 
was  it  the  symbol  ?  The  editor  of  Mallet's  North- 
ern Antiquities  says,  "We  are  inclined  to  regard 
this  mythic  Tree  as  the  symbol  of  ever-enduring 
time,  or  rather  of  universal  nature,  ever  varying 
in  its  aspects  but  subsisting  throughout  eternity." 
It  is  called  somewhere  "Time's  hoary  nurse,"  and 
we  see  the  principles  of  destruction  and  of  renovation 
acting  upon  it.  One  root  in  the  formless  elemental 
abyss,  one  in  the  formed  ice-frozen-over  giant  land, 
its  branches  spreading  over  the  whole  world;  one 
reaching  up  to  the  unseen.  Its  name  means  "  Ygg" 
— terror,  horror,  fear — "  drasil " — horse  or  bearer — 
and  the  first  syllable  is  one  of  the  names  of  Odin 
the  chief  god.  We  must  not  omit  to  mention  that 
our  Maypoles  and  the  German  Christmas  trees  are 
offshoots  of  Yggdrasil,  "that  ash,  the  greatest  and 
best  of  trees." 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


"But  who  is  the  first  and  eldest  of  the  gods?" 
Gangler  asks.  "We  call  him  Allfather,"  says  Har, 
"but  besides  this  he  has  twelve  names." 

Allfather,  Odin  or  Woden,  the  eldest  son  of 
Bor  by  a  giantess,  is  the  chief  god  of  the  Eddas, 
and  it  is  quite  true,  as  Har  says,  that  he  has  many 
names.  He  was  called  Allfather — the  father  of  gods 
and  men,  and  Valfather  or  the  chooser,  because  he 
chose  which  of  the  slain  in  battle  should  come  and 
live  with  him  in  heaven ;  he  called  himself  by  many 
names  when  he  travelled,  he  was  known  as  Ygg, 
but  generally,  chiefly,  he  was  Odin.  The  meaning 
of  the  first  syllable  of  this  last  name  is  terror  (like 
Ygg),  or  violent  emotion.  Simrock  says  that  air 
in  calm  or  storm  lies  at  the  root  of  Odin's  being; 
from  this  he  grew  up  to  be  a  god  of  the  spirit,  a 
king  of  gods,  "  as  in  the  simple  ideas  of  the  people," 
he  says,  "nature  and  spirit  are  inseparable;  he  became 
as  much  a  commander  of  the  spirits  of  men  as  of 
the  forces  of  nature.*1  Air,  widespread  and  most 
spiritual  of  the  elements,  how  naturally  akin  it  seems 
to  that  wind,  blowing  where  it  listeth,  which  moves 
in  hidden  ways  the  spirits  of  men.  Inspiration, 


INTROD  UCTION. 


madness,  poetry,  warrior-rage,  the  storm  of  wind, 
the  storm  of  mind — we  find  Odin  in  them  all.  Thor 
the  thunder-god  stood  next  in  importance  to  Odin. 
Odin  was  his  father,  and  he  had  a  giantess  mother, 
Jord  (the  earth).  Besides  these  Har  enumerates 
Baldur,  Tyr,  Vidar,  Vali,  Hodur,  Bragi,  all  called 
sons  of  Odin ; — we  shall  hear  the  stories  that  belong 
to  them  by-and-bye. 

All  these  were  of  the  race  of  the  ^Esir  or  Asgard 
gods ;  there  were  other  deities  counted  amongst  them, 
and  yet  kept  a  little  distinct — the  Vanir  gods  and 
goddesses.  These  were  of  a  different  race,  and  it 
is  not  clear  how  and  when  they  became  mixed  with 
the  JEsir.  What  the  Eddas  say  about  it  is  simply 
this,  that  the  JEsir  made  peace  with  the  Vanir  and 
exchanged  hostages  with  them.  Amongst  these  we 
find  Niord  a  kind  of  sea-coast  god,  the  original 
of  Nipen  still  known  in  Norway,  his  son  and 
daughter  Frey  and  Freyja,  "  beauteous  and  mighty," 
— Frey  presiding  over  rain,  sunshine,  and  the  fruits 
of  the  earth;  Freyja  goddess  of  the  beautiful  year 
and  of  love,  and  Heimdall,  a  god  who  lived  upon 
the  heavenly  hills  at  one  end  of  the  rainbow.  A 


,8  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

sea-king  called  -£Dgir,  whose  nature  is  not  quite 
defined  whether  he  belonged  to  the  god  or  the  giant 
is  occasionally  mentioned  in  the  Edda  tales,  and 
also  a  wise  giant  Mimer.  But  there  is  besides  a 
mysterious  being  whom  we  name  last  because  he 
requires  a  little  explanation.  This  is  Loki.  He 
was  one  of  the  JEsir;  we  read  of  his  being  with 
Odin  when  that  god  took  his  fateful  walk  along  the 
seashore  and  made  man,  he  helped  Odin  in  the 
work ;  we  come  upon  him  frequently  travelling  with 
the  gods,  sometimes  at  least  as  a  friend,  and 
yet  it  is  evident  that  Loki  was  looked  upon  as  an 
evil  being.  "Some  call  him  the  calumniator  of 
the  gods,"  says  Har,  "  the  contriver  of  all  fraud  and 
mischief,  the  disgrace  of  gods  and  men.  Loki  is 
handsome,"  he  adds,  "  and  well  made,  but  of  a  very 
fickle  mood  and  most  evil  disposition.  He  sur- 
passes all  beings  in  those  arts  called  cunning  and 
perfidy."  Simrock  says  that  fire  lies  at  the  root  of 
Loki's  being  as  air  lies  in  that  of  Odin, — fire 
which  has  good  and  evil  in  it,  but  most  outwardly 
destructive  power;  hence  the  beginning  of  the  idea 
of  his  evil-hcartedncss.  From  simple  nature  myths, 


INTRODUCTION.  29 

it  is  quite  easy  to  conceive  that  the  moral  principle, 
as  it  grew  up  in  a  people,  would  develop  spiritual 
ones,  and  the  character  of  the  gods  would  materially 
alter  with  the  growth  of  the  religion.  Good  and 
evil  are  scarcely  conceptions  which  the  wars  of  the 
elements  give  birth  to.  By  the  law  is  the  knowledge 
of  sin.  The  name  of  Loki,  it  is  said,  may  mean  the 
bright  element. 

Amongst  the  goddesses  who  were  called  Asyniur, 
Frigga  stands 'out  chief  in  the  Eddas  as  Odin's  wife, 
but  several  others  are  named,  and  also  the  Valkyrior, 
swayers  of  the  battle  and  heavenly  serving  maidens. 
The  peace  between  the  ^Esir  and  the  Vanir,  and 
the  perceptible  difference  between  these  races  of  gods, 
points  to  an  amalgamation  of  the  religions  of  two 
tribes  of  Teutons  in  very  early  times :  their  faiths 
would  be  similar,  drawn  indeed  from  one  source, 
but  would  have  been  modified  by  the  circumstances 
and  requirements  of  the  divergent  tribes.  Simrock 
supposes  that  the  Vanir  worshippers  may  have  been 
dwellers  by  the  sea,  and  have  had  a  special  reverence 
for  wind  and  water  deities — mild,  wide,  beneficent 
airs.  Their  gods  are  a  little  milder  in  nature  than 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


those  of  Asgard,  they  are  also  more  purely  nature 
deities,  with  less  of  the  moral  element  in  their  charac- 
ters, which  looks  as  if  the  two  faiths  had  joined  at  dif- 
ferent stages  of  development,  at  different  levels  one 
may  say,  so  that  the  line  between  them  is  still 
discernible.  We  have  seen  how  Har  explains  to 
Gangler  the  formation  of  the  universe  in  Ginnungagap 
out  of  the  strange  ice  waves;  primeval  giant; 
beneficent  might  of  the  gods;  its  endurance, 
rooted  in  the  mighty  Tree,  that  reached  from  depth 
to  height,  — 

••  Laved  with  limpid  water, 
Gnawed  by  more  serpents 
Than  any  one  would  think 
Of  witless  mortals.  " 

He  had  also  something  to  say  concerning  the 
future  of  the  world.  "What  hast  thou  to  tell  me 
about  it?"  said  Gangler;  and  Har  replied,  —  "In 
the  first  place  there  will  come  a  winter;*1  and 
then  he  described  the  destruction  of  the  world  — 
flood  and  storm,  and  ice  and  fire,  and  warfare,  a 
supreme  conflict;  all  the  powers  of  evil,  the 
chaotic  powers  —  primeval  chaos  surging  again  out 


INTRODUCTION. 


of  Niflheim  and  Muspellheim — on  one  side,  the 
gods,  the  forming  orderly  principle  of  the  course 
of  the  universe,  on  the  other — all  rage  within, 
and  through  the  mighty  ash,  which  itself  trembles, 
"Groans  that  aged  tree."  Monsters  and  gods 
alike  fall,  killing  each  other,  and  one  cannot  say 
with  whom  the  victory  lies;  for  though  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars  are  made  away  with,  and  the 
earth  sinks  into  the  flood,  it  soon  emerges  again, 
"  beauteously  green,"  destined,  as  it  would  seem, 
to  run  a  second  course.  Brighter,  purer?  The 
account  is  so  mixed  that  one  cannot  say,  and 
why  should  we  puzzle  over  it;  perhaps  they 
knew  as  little  what  they  thought  and  hoped  as 
we  know  about  them — those  old  song-singers  and 
myth-spinners  of  days  gone  by,  as  one  of  them 

says,— 

"Few  may  see 
Further  forth 
Than  when  Odin 
Meets   the  wolf," 

Notwithstanding,  we  cannot  help  feeling,  as  we 
contemplate  this  myth,  that  there  was  something 
noble,  very  grimly  courageous  in  its  fatalism, 


3  a  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

Simrock  says,  "the  course  of  Northern  mythology 
is  like  a  drama."  The  world's  beginning,  the 
golden  years,  the  first  shadow  of  evil,  evil  that 
came  with  times,  evil  fated  to  come,  the  troubles 
of  various  kinds,  all  death  shadows  which  fell 
upon  the  gods  (we  shall  trace  them  in  the 
following  tales);  and  above  all,  hanging  over  all, 
crowning  all,  the  twilight,  the  struggle,  the  end, 
the  renewing;  for  it  is  not,  be  it  observed,  the 
end  of  the  world,  of  time,  of  succession  of  events 
that  is  recorded  in  this  myth  (called  the  Ragnarok 
Myth),  but  rather  of  the  struggling  powers  that 
had  been  brought  by  these,  that  had  formed 
these.  Looking  through  this  drama  two  things 
chiefly  strike  us,  fatalism  and  combat.  The  two 
do  not  contradict  one  another.  The  gods  fight 
the  giants  from  the  earliest  times;  they  go  on 
fighting  them  in  a  thousand  ways,  even  though 
they  know  that  their  own  final  defeat  and 
destruction  arc  fixed— they  ward  off  the  evil  day 
as  far  as  possible,  hoping  through  its  shadow 
again  and  again,  dauntless  to  the  end.  It  is 
impossible  to  help  admiring  the  impulses  which 


INTRODUCTION. 


33 


led  to  the  building  up,  and  dictated  the  worship 
of  this  idea, — the  worship  of  the  gods  who  were 
to  die,  who  were,  in  spite  of  most  courageous 
defiance  of  it,  after  all  but  the  servants  of  the 
inevitable.  Of  course  it  was  perfectly  simple  and 
natural  that  this  conception  of  unceasing  strife, 
of  the  alternate  victory  and  defeat  of  light  and 
darkness,  cold  and  heat,  should  arise  in  the 
minds  of  any  worshippers  of  the  natural  world, 
but  it  must,  one  would  think,  have  acquired 
some  moral  significance  to  these  heathen  North- 
men by  the  time  that  Odin  had  come  to  be 
Allfather,  even  Valfather,  and  Frigga,  through  the 
nourishing  earth,  the  lady  of  married  love  and 
of  the  hearth.  A  good  deal  of  this  coura- 
geous spirit  of  conflict  and  self-surrender  comes 
into  the  Scandinavian  myths  and  heroic  tales. 
We  read  of  one  of  the  gods'  messengers,  who, 
when  implored  to  desist  from  an  undertaking  be- 
cause danger  threatened,  replied,  "  For  one  day 
was  my  age  decreed  and  my  whole  life  deter- 
mined." In  a  lay  of  Odin,  it  says,  "  We  ourselves 
die,  but  the  fair  fame  never  dies  of  him  who 


34 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


has  earned  it;"  and  this  reminds  us  of  the 
Scandinavian  custom  of  engraving  the  records  of 
their  warlike  deeds  upon  their  shields.  "When  a 
young  warrior  was  at  first  enlisted,"  it  is  said, 
"they  gave  him  a  white  and  smooth  buckler, 
which  was  called  the  *  shield  of  expectation,' 
which  he  carried  until  he  had  earned  its  record." 
It  is  related  of  one  of  the  celebrated  Jomsburg 
sea-rovers  called  Bui,  that  finding  himself  defeated 
in  an  engagement,  and  seeing  that  all  further 
resistance  was  fruitless,  he  took  his  treasure — two 
chests  full  of  gold — and,  calling  out  "Overboard 
all  Bui's  men,"  plunged  into  the  sea  and  perished. 
But  better  far  is  the  following : — "  A  warrior 
having  been  thrown  upon  his  back  in  wrestling 
with  his  enemy,  and  the  latter  finding  himself 
without  arms,  the  vanquished  person  promised  to 
wait  without  changing  his  posture  while  the  other 
fetched  a  sword  to  kill  him,  and  he  faithfully 
kept  his  word." 

Such  traits  as  these  lie  on  the  light  side  of  the 
Northern  character,  pity  that  the  other  side  is  such  a 
dark  one.  Craft,  avarice,  cruelty — we  cannot  shut 


INTRODUCTION.  35 

our  eyes  to  them — cropping  up  everywhere,  in  the 
stories  of  the  gods,  and  still  more  frequently  in  the 
sagas  whose  details  are  sometimes  most  revolting. 
Amongst  other  stories,  we  have  one  of  a  young  sea- 
rover,  called  Sigurd,  by-the-bye,  a  son  of  that  very 
Bui  mentioned  above.  Sigurd  and  his  companions 
had  been  taken  prisoners,  and  were  condemned  to 
be  beheaded.  They  were  all  seated  on  a  log  of  wood, 
and  one  after  another  had  his  head  struck  off,  whilst 
king  Hakon  their  capturer  looked  on ;  the  account 
says,  that  he  came  out  after  breakfast  to  watch  the 
execution.  The  sea-rovers  all  met  their  fate  with 
unflinching  courage,  and  as  the  executioner  asked 
each  one,  before  he  struck  the  blow,  what  he  thought 
of  death,  each  gave  some  fierce  mocking  answer; 
but  when  it  came  to  Sigurd's  turn,  and  he  was  asked 
what  he  thought  of  death,  he  answered,  "  I  fear  not 
death,  since  I  have  fulfilled  the  greatest  duty  of  life, 
but  I  must  pray  thee  not  to  let  my  hair  be  touched 
by  a  slave,  or  stained  with  my  blood."  The  story 
tells  us  he  had  long  fair  hair,  as  fine  as  silk, 
flowing  in  ringlets  over  his  shoulders.  One  of  the 
cruel  king  Hakon's  followers,  being  moved,  it 


36  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

seems,  either  with  pity  for  Sigurd's  hair  or  admiration 
of  his  courage,  stept  forward  and  held  the  ringlets 
whilst  the  executioner  struck,  upon  which  Sigurd 
twitched  his  head  forward  so  strongly  that  the  warrior 
who  was  holding  his  hair  had  both  his  hands  cut  off, 
"and  this  practical  joke  so  pleased  the  king's  son," 
continues  the  tale,  "  that  he  gave  Sigurd  his  life," 

"Thou  tellest  me  many  wonderful  things,"  said 
Gangler;  "what  are  the  names  of  the  Homesteads 
in  heaven?"  In  answer,  Har  tells  him  about  Odin's 
halls,  and  Thor*s,  and  Baldur's,  and  Frigga's,  and 
many  another  bounteous,  wide-spreading,  golden-roofed 
mansion ;  amongst  them  of  Valhalla,  which  Odin  had 
prepared  especially  for  warriors  who  fell  in  battle 
and  who  were  thenceforth  to  be  his  sons,  called 
Einherjar,  heroes,  champions.  "  Methinks,  *  said 
Gangler,  "  there  must  be  a  great  crowd  in  Valhalla, 
and  often  a  great  press  at  the  door  among  such  a 
number  of  people  constantly  thronging  in  and  out" 
"  Why  not  ask, "  says  Har,  "  how  many  doors  there 

are? — 

"  Five  hundred  doors 
And  forty  eke 
I  think  are  in  Valball. 


INTRODUCTION.  37 


"But  what  does  Odin  give  the  warriors  to  eat?" 
asked  Gangler.  "  The  flesh  of  the  good  boar  Saehrim- 
nir,  and  this  is  more  than  enough  (though  few  know 
how  much  is  required  for  heroes),  for  in  spite  of  its 
being  eaten  every  day  it  becomes  whole  again  every 
night ;  truly  it  is  the  best  of  flesh."  "  And  what  have 
the  heroes  to  drink  ?"  asked  Gangler  "  for  they  must 
require  a  plentiful  supply;  do  they  drink  only  water  ?  " 
"A  silly  question  that,"  replied  Har;  "dost  thou 
imagine  that  Allfather  would  invite  kings  and  jarls 
and  other  great  men  and  give  them  nothing  to  drink 
but  water?  In  that  case  the  heroes  would  think 
they  had  paid  dearly  to  get  to  Valhall,  enduring 
great  hardships  and  receiving  deadly  wounds;  they 
would  find  they  had  paid  too  great  a  price  for  water 
drink.  No,  no,  the  case  is  quite  otherwise,  in 
Valhall  there  is  a  famous  goat  that  supplies  mead 
enough  for  all  the  heroes  and  to  spare."  "  Mighty 
things  these,  "  said  Gangler;  "  but  how  do  the  heroes 
amuse  themselves  when  they  are  not  drinking?" 
"Every  day  they  ride  into  the  court  and  fight  till 
they  cut  each  other  in  pieces,  this  is  their  pastime ; 
but  when  meal-tide  approaches  they  return  to  drink 


38  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

in  Valhall."     "Odin  is  great  and  mighty,"  answered 
Gangler,   "as   it   is  said  in  one  of  the  ^sifg  own 

poems, — 

"TheashYggdrasill 
Is  the  first  of  Trees, 
As  Skidbladnir  of  ship% 
Odin  of  ^Lsir 
Sleipnir  of  steeds, 
Eiirost  of  bridges, 
Bragi  of  Lards, 
Habrok  of  hawks 
And  Garm  of  hounds  is." 

"  But  do  all  the  dead  go  to  Valhalla  ?  "  No ;  down 
below  in  Niflheim  there  was  another  home  of  the 
dead  which  was  ruled  over  by  the  underworld 
goddess  Hela,  and  called  after  her  Helheim.  Cold- 
ness and  discomfort,  according  to  one  account, 
were  rather  its  characteristics  than  actual  suffering; 
and  as  all  the  dead  were  said  to  go  there  who  died 
of  sickness  or  old  age,  it  was  probably  at  one  time 
regarded  more  as  a  place  of  misfortune  than  of 
punishment  The  cold,  hidden-away  condition  of 
the  dead,  separated  from  the  bright,  warm  life  of 
the  upper  world,  would  naturally  suggest  their  being 
consigned  to  the  keeping  of  some  under-world  d 


INTRODUCTION. 


39 


unless,  indeed,  they  could  lay  claim  to  a  second  higher 
life  by  virtue  of  any  great  warlike  deed  done  up 
here.  By  degrees  misfortune  must  have  deepened 
into  suffering;  and,  as  the  moral  sense  quickened, 
the  idea  would  arise  of  there  being  a  retribution  for 
misdeeds  done  on  earth  as  well  as  an  emptiness  of 
its  missed  glories.  There  is  a  description  given  of 
some  place  of  punishment — it  is  not  quite  clear  what 
place  it  refers  to — in  these  words,— 

"A  hall  standing 
Far  from  the  sun 
In  Nastrond, 
Its  doors  turn  northward, 
Venom  drops  fall 
Through  its  apertures ; 
The  Hall  is  twined 
With  serpents'  backs. 

There  she  saw  wading, 
Through  sluggish  streams, 
Bloodthirsty  men 
And  perjurers ; 
There  Nidhog  sucks 
The  corpse  of  the  dead 
The  wolf  tears  men — 
Understand  ye  yet,  or  whatr 

u  Now, *  says  Har ;  that  was  when  he  had  finished 


40 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


his  description  of  Ragnarok,  "  If  thou,  Gangler,  hast 
any  more  questions  to  ask,  I  know  not  who  can 
answer  thee,  for  I  never  heard  tell  of  any  one  who 
could  relate  what  will  happen  in  the  other  ages  of 
the  world.  "  "Upon  which,"  the  story  says,  "Gangler 
heard  a  terrible  noise  all  round  him ;  he  looked 
everywhere,  but  could  see  neither  palace,  nor  city, 
nor  any  thing  save  a  vast  plain.  He  therefore  set 
out  on  his  return  home.*  And  so  disappears  king 
Gylfi. 

But  we,  who  are  not  so  presumptuous  as  to  enquire 
into  the  future  of  the  ages,  and  are  neither  learned 
nor  over  inquisitive  like  king  Gylfi,  will  go  on 
listening  to  the  great-grandmothers'  stories,  giant 
stories  and  god  stories — a  little  bit  that  one  remem- 
bers, and  a  little  bit  that  another  remembers,  and  so 
on ;  and  all  the  time  we  will  try  to  make  the  story 
tellers  clear  to  one  another  and  to  ourselves  as  they 
go  on,  translating  their  old  fashioned  words  into  our 
own  common  every  day  words  and  modes  of  speech, 
so  that  we  may  have  at  least  a  chance  of  under- 
standing them. 


THE  JZSIR.  4! 


CHAPTER  L 
THE 


PART  L 

A  GIANT  —  A   COW  —  AND  A   HERO, 

IN  the  beginning  of  ages  there  lived  a  cow,  whose 
breath  was  sweet,  and  whose  milk  was  bitter.  This 
cow  was  called  Audhumla,  and  she  lived  all  by 
herself  on  a  frosty,  misty  plain,  where  there  was 
nothing  to  be  seen  but  heaps  of  snow  and  ice 
piled  strangely  over  one  another.  Far  away  to  the 
north  it  was  night,  far  away  to  the  south  it  was 
day;  but  all  around  where  Audhumla  lay  a  cold, 
grey  twilight  reigned.  By-and-by  a  giant  came  out 

of  the  dark  north,  and  lay  down  upon  the  ice  near 
D 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


Audhumla.  "  You  must  let  me  drink  of  your  milk," 
said  the  giant  to  the  cow;  and  though  her  milk 
was  bitter,  he  liked  it  well,  and  for  him  it  was 
certainly  good  enough. 

After  a  little  while  the  cow  looked  all  round  her 
for  something  to  eat,  and  she  saw  a  very  few  grains 
of  salt  sprinkled  over  the  ice;  so  she  licked  the 
salt,  and  breathed  with  her  sweet  breath,  and  then 
long  golden  locks  rose  out  of  the  ice,  and  the 
southern  day  shone  upon  them,  which  made  them 
look  bright  and  glittering. 

The  giant  frowned  when  he  saw  the  glitter  of  the 
golden  hair;  but  Audhumla  licked  the  pure  salt 
again,  and  a  head  of  a  man  rose  out  of  the  ice. 
The  head  was  more  handsome  than  could  be 
described,  and  a  wonderful  light  beamed  out  of 
its  clear  blue  eyes.  The  giant  frowned  still  more 
when  he  saw  the  head;  but  Audhumla  licked  the 
•alt  a  third  time,  and  then  an  entire  man  arose — a 
hero  majestic  in  strength  and  marvellous  in  beauty. 

Now,  it  happened  that  when  the  giant  looked 
full  in  the  face  of  that  beautiful  man,  he  hated  him 
with  his  whole  heart,  and,  what  was  still  worse,  he 


THE  MSIR.  43 


took  a  terrible  oath,  by  all  the  snows  of  Ginnun- 
gagap,  that  he  would  never  cease  fighting  until  either 
he  or  Bur,  the  hero,  should  lie  dead  upon  the 
ground.  And  he  kept  his  vow;  he  did  not  cease 
fighting  until  Bur  had  fallen  beneath  his  cruel  blows. 
I  cannot  tell  how  it  could  be  that  one  so  wicked 
should  be  able  to  conquer  one  so  majestic  and  so 
beautiful;  but  so  it  was,  and  afterwards,  when  the 
sons  of  the  hero  began  to  grow  up,  the  giant  and 
his  sons  fought  against  them,  too,  and  were  very 
near  conquering  them  many  times. 

But  there  was  of  the  sons  of  the  heroes  one  of 
very  great  strength  and  wisdom,  called  Odin,  who, 
after  many  combats,  did  at  last  slay  the  great  old 
giant,  and  pierced  his  body  through  with  his  keen 
spear,  so  that  the  blood  swelled  forth  in  a  mighty 
torrent,  broad  and  deep,  and  all  the  hideous  giant 
brood  were  drowned  in  it  excepting  one,  who  ran 
away  panting  and  afraid 

After  this  Odin  called  round  him  his  sons,  brothers, 
and  cousins,  and  spoke  to  them  thus :  "  Heroes, 
we  have  won  a  great  victory ;  our  enemies  are  dead, 
or  have  run  away  from  us.  We  cannot  stay  any 


44  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

longer  here,  where  there  is  nothing  evil  for  us  to 
fight  against" 

The  heroes  looked  round  them  at  the  words  of 
Odin.  North,  south,  east,  and  west  there  was  no 
one  to  fight  against  them  anywhere,  and  they  called 
out  with  one  voice,  "  It  is  well  spoken,  Odin ;  we 
follow  you." 

"Southward,"  answered  Odin,  "heat  lies,  and 
northward  night.  From  the  dim  east  the  sun 
begins  his  journey  westward  home." 

"Westward  home!"  shouted  they  all;  and  west- 
ward they  went 

Odin  rode  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  they  all  paid 
to  him  reverence  and  homage  as  to  a  king  and 
father.  On  his  right  hand  rode  Thor,  Odin's  strong, 
warlike,  eldest  son.  On  his  left  hand  rode  Baldur, 
the  most  beautiful  and  exalted  of  his  children;  for 
the  very  light  of  the  sun  itself  shone  forth  from  his 
pure  and  noble  brow.  After  him  came  Tyr  the 
Brave ;  the  Silent  Vidar ;  Hodur,  who,  alas  1  was 
born  blind;  Hermod,  the  Flying  Word;  Bragi, 
Haenir,  and  many  more  mighty  lords  and  heroes; 
and  then  came  a  shell  chariot,  in  which  sat  Frigga, 


THE  &S1R. 


the  wife   of  Odin,   with   all   her  daughters,   friends, 
and  tirewomen. 

Eleven  months  they  journeyed  westward,  enliven- 
ing the  way  with  cheerful  songs  and  conversation, 
and  at  the  twelfth  new  moon  they  pitched  their 
tents  upon  a  range  of  hills  which  stood  near  the 
borders  of  an  inland  sea.  The  greater  part  of  one 
night  they  were  disturbed  by  mysterious  whisper- 
ings, which  appeared  to  proceed  from  the  sea-coast, 
and  creep  up  the  mountain  side;  but  as  Tyr,  who 
got  up  half  a  dozen  times,  and  ran  furiously  about 
among  the  gorse  and  bushes,  always  returned 
saying  that  he  could  see  no  one,  Frigga  and  her 
maidens  at  length  resigned  themselves  to  sleep, 
though  they  certainly  trembled  and  started  a  good 
deal  at  intervals.  Odin  lay  awake  all  night,  how- 
ever; for  he  felt  certain  that  something  unusual 
was  going  to  happen.  And  such  proved  to  be  the 
case;  for  in  the  morning,  before  the  tents  were 
struck,  a  most  terrific  hurricane  levelled  the  poles, 
and  tore  in  pieces  the  damask  coverings,  swept 
from  over  the  water  furiously  up  the  mountain 
gorges,  round  the  base  of  the  hills,  and  up  again 


46  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

all  along  their  steep  sides  right  in  the  faces  of  the 
heroes. 

Thor  swung  himself  backwards  and  forwards,  and 
threw  stones  in  every  possible  direction.  Tyr  sat 
down  on  the  top  of  a  precipice,  and  defied  the  winds 
to  displace  him ;  whilst  Baldur  vainly  endeavoured 
to  comfort  his  poor  mother,  Frigga.  But  Odin 
stepped  forth  calm  and  unruffled,  spread  his  arms 
towards  the  sky,  and  called  out  to  the  spirits  of  the 
wind,  "  Cease,  strange  Vanir  (for  that  was  the  name 
by  which  they  were  called),  cease  your  rough  play, 
and  tell  us  in  what  manner  we  have  offended  you  that 
you  serve  us  thus.*1 

The  winds  laughed  in  a  whispered  chorus  at  the 
words  of  the  brave  king,  and,  after  a  few  low  titter- 
ings, sank  into  silence.  But  each  sound  in  dying 
grew  into  a  shape :  one  by  one  the  strange,  loose- 
limbed,  uncertain  forms  stepped  forth  from  caves, 
from  gorges,  dropped  from  the  tree  tops,  or  rose 
out  of  the  grass — each  wind-gust  a  separate  Van. 

Then  Niord,  their  leader,  stood  forward  from  the 
rest  of  them,  and  said,  "We  know,  O  mighty  Odin 
how  you  and  your  company  are  truly  the  ^£sir— that 


THE  &SIR. 


is  to  say,  the  lords  of  the  whole  earth — since  you 
slew  the  huge,  wicked  giant  We,  too,  are  lords, 
not  of  the  earth,  but  of  the  sea  and  air,  and  we 
thought  to  have  had  glorious  sport  in  fighting  one 
against  another;  but  if  such  be  not  your  pleasure, 
let  us,  instead  of  that,  shake  hands."  And,  as  he 
spoke,  Niord  held  out  his  long,  cold  hand,  which 
was  like  a  windbag  to  the  touch.  Odin  grasped 
it  heartily,  as  did  all  the  ^Esir;  for  they  liked  the 
appearance  of  the  good-natured,  gusty  chief,  whom 
they  begged  to  become  one  of  their  company,  and 
live  henceforth  with  them. 

To  this  Niord  consented,  whistled  good-bye  to 
his  kinsfolk,  and  strode  cheerfully  along  amongst 
his  new  friends.  After  this  they  journeyed  on 
and  on  steadily  westward  until  they  reached  the 
summit  of  a  lofty  mountain,  called  the  Meeting 
HilL  There  they  all  sat  round  in  a  circle,  and 
took  a  general  survey  of  the  surrounding  neigh- 
bourhood. 

As  they  sat  talking  together  Baldur  looked  up 
suddenly,  and  said,  "  Is  it  not  strange,  Father  Odin, 
that  we  do  not  find  any  traces  of  that  giant  who 


48  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

fled  from  us,  and  who  escaped  drowning  in  his 
father's  blood?" 

"  Perhaps  he  has  fallen  into  Niflheim,  and  so 
perished,"  remarked  Thor. 

But  Niord  pointed  northward,  where  the  troubled 
ocean  rolled,  and  said,  "Yonder,  beyond  that  sea, 
lies  the  snowy  region  of  Jotunheim.  It  is  there 
the  giant  lives,  and  builds  cities  and  castles,  and 
brings  up  his  children — a  more  hideous  brood  even 
than  the  old  one." 

"How  do  you  know  that,  Niord?"  asked  Odin. 

"I  have  seen  him  many  times,"  answered  Niord, 
"both  before  I  came  to  live  with  you,  and  also 
since  then,  at  night,  when  I  have  not  been  able  to 
sleep,  and  have  made  little  journeys  to  Jotunheim, 
to  pass  the  time  away." 

"This  is  indeed  terrible  news,"  said  Frigga; 
"  for  the  giants  will  come  again  out  of  Jotunheim 
and  devastate  the  earth." 

"Not  so,"  answered  Odin,  "not  so,  my  dear 
Frigga;  for  here,  upon  this  very  hill,  we  will  build 
for  ourselves  a  city,  from  which  we  will  keep  guard 
over  the  poor  earth,  with  its  weak  men  and  women, 


THE  &SIR.  49 


and  from  whence  we  will  go  forth  to  make  war 
upon  Jotunheim." 

"That  is  remarkably  well  said,  Father  Odin," 
observed  Thor,  laughing  amidst  his  red  beard. 

Tyr  shouted,  and  Vidar  smiled,  but  said  nothing ; 
and  then  all  the  ^Esir  set  to  work  with  their 
whole  strength  and  industry  to  build  for  themselves 
a  glorious  city  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain. 
For  days,  and  weeks,  and  months,  and  years  they 
worked,  and  never  wearied;  so  strong  a  purpose 
was  in  them,  so  determined  and  powerful  were  they 
to  fulfil  it.  Even  Frigga  and  her  ladies  did  not 
disdain  to  fetch  stones  in  their  marble  wheel- 
barrows, or  to  draw  water  from  the  well  in  golden 
buckets,  and  then,  with  delicate  hands,  to  mix  the 
mortar  upon  silver  plates.  And  so  that  city  rose  by 
beautiful  degrees,  stone  above  stone,  tower  above 
tower,  height  above  height,  until  it  crowned  the  hill. 

Then  all  the  ^Esir  stood  at  a  little  distance,  and 
looked  at  it,  and  sighed  from  their  great  happi- 
ness. Towering  at  a  giddy  height  in  the  centre  of 
the  city  rose  Odin's  seat,  called  Air  Throne,  from 
whence  he  could  see  over  the  whole  earth.  On 


50  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

one  side  of  Air  Throne  stood  the  Palace  of  Friends, 
where  Frigga  was  to  live;  on  the  other  rose  the 
glittering  Gladsheim,  a  palace  roofed  entirely  with 
golden  shields,  and  whose  great  hall,  Valhalla,  had 
a  ceiling  covered  with  spears,  benches  spread  with 
coats  of  mail,  and  five  hundred  and  forty  entrance- 
gates,  through  each  of  which  eight  hundred  men 
might  ride  abreast  There  was  also  a  large  iron 
smithy,  situated  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  city, 
where  the  ^Esir  might  forge  their  arms  and  shape 
their  armour.  That  night  they  all  supped  ID 
Valhalla,  and  drank  to  the  health  of  their  strong, 
new  home,  "The  City  of  Asgard,"  as  Bragi,  their 
chief  orator,  said  it  ought  to  be  called 


THE 


PART    II. 

AIR    rflKONE,   THE   DWARFS,   AND   THE    LIGHT  ELVES. 

IN  the  morning  Odin  mounted  Air  Throne,  and 
looked  over  the  whole  earth,  whilst  the  ^Esir 
stood  all  round  waiting  to  hear  what  he  thought 
about  it 

"The  earth  is  very  beautiful,**  said  Odin,  from 
the  top  of  his  throne,  "very  beautiful  in  every 
part,  even  to  the  shores  of  the  dark  North  Sea ; 
but,  alas!  the  men  of  the  earth  are  puny  and 
fearful.  At  this  moment  I  see  a  three-headed 
giant  striding  out  of  Jotunheim.  He  throws  a 
shepherd-boy  into  the  sea,  and  puts  the  whole  of 
the  flock  into  his  pocket  Now  he  takes  them  out 
again  one  by  one,  and  cracks  their  bones  as  if 


52  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

they  were  hazel-nuts,  whilst,  all  the  time,  men 
look  on,  and  do  nothing." 

"Father,"  cried  Thor  in  a  rage,  "last  night  I 
forged  for  myself  a  belt,  a  glove,  and  a  hammer, 
with  which  three  things  I  will  go  forth  alone  to 
Jotunheim." 

Thor  went,  and  Odin  looked  again. 

"The  men  of  the  earth  are  idle  and  stupid," 
said  Odin.  "  There  are  dwarfs  and  elves,  who  live 
amongst  them,  and  play  tricks  which  they  cannot 
understand,  and  do  not  know  how  to  prevent  At 
this  moment  I  see  a  husbandman  sowing  grains  of 
wheat  in  the  furrows,  whilst  a  dwarf  runs  after 
him,  and  changes  them  into  stones.  Again,  I  see 
two  hideous  little  beings,  who  are  holding  under 
water  the  head  of  one,  the  wisest  of  men,  until  he 
dies;  they  mix  his  blood  with  honey;  they  have 
put  it  into  three  stone  jars,  and  hidden  it 
away." 

Then  Odin  was  very  angry  with  the  dwarfs,  for 
he  saw  that  they  were  bent  on  mischief;  so  he 
called  to  him  Hermod,  his  Flying  Word,  and 
despatched  him  with  a  message  to  the  dwarfs  and 


THE  MSIR. 


53 


light  elves,  to  say  that  Odin  sent  his  compliments, 
and  would  be  glad  to  speak  with  them,  in  his  palace 
of  Gladsheim,  upon  a  matter  of  some  importance. 

When  they  received  Hermod's  summons  the 
dwarfs  and  light  elves  were  very  much  surprised, 
not  quite  knowing  whether  to  feel  honoured  or 
afraid.  However,  they  put  on  the.;r  pertest  man- 
ners, and  went  clustering  after  Hermod  like  a 
swarm  of  ladybirds. 

When  they  were  arrived  in  the  great  city  they 
found  Odin  descended  from  his  throne,  and  sitting 
with  the  rest  of  the  ^Esir  in  the  Judgment  Hall 
of  Gladsheim.  Hermod  flew  in,  saluted  his  master, 
and  pointed  to  the  dwarfs  and  elves  hanging  like 
a  cloud  in  the  doorway  to  show  that  he  had  fulfilled 
his  mission.  Then  Odin  beckoned  the  little  people 
to  come  forward.  Cowering  and  whispering  they 
peeped  over  one  another's  shoulders;  now  running 
on  a  little  way  into  the  hall,  now  back  again,  half 
curious,  half  afraid ;  and  it  was  not  until  Odin  had 
beckoned  three  times  that  they  finally  reached  his 
footstool.  Then  Odin  spoke  to  them  in  calm,  low, 
serious  tones  about  the  wickedness  of  their  mis- 


54  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

chievous  propensities.  Some,  the  very  worst  of 
them,  only  laughed  in  a  forward,  hardened  manner ; 
but  a  great  many  looked  up  surprised  and  a  little 
pleased  at  the  novelty  of  serious  words ;  whilst  the 
light  elves  all  wept,  for  they  were  tender-hearted 
little  things.  At  length  Odin  spoke  to  the  two 
dwarfs  by  name  whom  he  had  seen  drowning  the 
wise  man.  "Whose  blood  was  it,"  he  asked, 
"  that  you  mixed  with  honey  and  put  into  jars  ?" 

"Oh,"  said  the  dwarfs,  jumping  up  into  the  air, 
and  clapping  their  hands,  "  that  was  Kvasir's  blood. 
Don't  you  know  who  Kvasir  was?  He  sprang  up 
out  of  the  peace  made  between  the  Vanir  and  your- 
selves, and  has  been  wandering  about  these  seven 
years  or  more;  so  wise  he  was  that  men  thought 
he  must  be  a  god.  Well,  just  now  we  found  him 
lying  in  a  meadow  drowned  in  his  own  wisdom ;  so 
we  mixed  his  blood  with  honey,  and  put  it  into 
three  great  jars  to  keep.  Was  not  that  well  done, 
Odin?" 

"Well  done!"  answered  Odin.  "Well  done! 
You  cruel,  cowardly,  lying  dwarfs  1  I  myself  saw 
you  kill  him.  For  shame  1  for  shame  Iw  and  then 


THE 


55 


Odin  proceeded  to  pass  sentence  upon  them  all 
Those  who  had  been  the  most  wicked,  he  said, 
were  to  live,  henceforth,  a  long  way  underground, 
and  were  to  spend  their  time  in  throwing  fuel  upon 
the  great  earth's  central  fire;  whilst  those  who  had 
only  been  mischievous  were  to  work  in  the  gold 
and  diamond  mines,  fashioning  precious  stones  and 
metals.  They  might  all  come  up  at  night,  Odin 
said;  but  must  vanish  at  the  dawn.  Then  he 
waved  his  hand,  and  the  dwarfs  turned  round, 
shrilly  chattering,  scampered  down  the  palace-steps, 
out  of  the  city,  over  the  green  fields,  to  their  un- 
known, deep-buried  earth-homes.  But  the  light 
elves  still  lingered,  with  upturned,  tearful,  smiling 
faces,  like  sunshiny  morning  dew. 

"And  you,"  said  Odin,  looking  them  through 
and  through  with  his  serious  eyes,  "and  you " 

"  Oh !  indeed,  Odin,"  interrupted  they,  speaking 
all  together  in  quick,  uncertain  tones ;  "  Oh  !  indeed, 
Odin,  we  are  not  so  very  wicked.  We  have  never 
done  anybody  any  harm." 

"Have  you  ever  done  anybody  any  good?" 
asked  Odin. 


56  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

"  Oh !  no,  indeed,"  answered  the  light  elves, 
we  have  never  done  anything  at  alL" 

"You  may  go,  then,"  said  Odin,  "to  live 
amongst  the  flowers,  and  play  with  the  wild  bees 
and  summer  insects.  You  must,  however,  find 
something  to  do,  or  you  will  get  to  be  mischievous 
like  the  dwarfs." 

"  If  only  we  had  any  one  to  teach  us,"  said  the 
light  elves,  "  for  we  are  such  foolish  little  people." 

Odin  looked  round  inquiringly  upon  the  ^Esir; 
but  amongst  them  there  was  no  teacher  found  for 
the  silly  little  elves.  Then  he  turned  to  Niord, 
who  nodded  his  head  good-naturedly,  and  said, 
"  Yes,  yes,  I  will  see  about  it  f  and  then  he  strode 
out  of  the  Judgment  Hall,  right  away  through  the 
city  gates,  and  sat  down  upon  the  mountain's 
edge. 

After  awhile  he  began  to  whistle  in  a  most 
alarming  manner,  louder  and  louder,  in  strong 
wild  gusts,  now  advancing,  now  retreating;  then 
he  dropped  his  voice  a  little,  lower  and  lower, 
until  it  became  a  bird-like  whistle — low,  soft,  en- 
ticing music,  like  a  spirit's  call;  and  far  away 


THE  &S1R. 


57 


from  the  south  a  little  fluttering  answer  came, 
sweet  as  the  invitation  itself,  nearer  and  nearer 
until  the  two  sounds  dropped  into  one  another. 
Then  through  the  clear  sky  two  forms  came 
floating,  wonderfully  fair— a  brother  and  sister — 
their  beautiful  arms  twined  round  one  another, 
their  golden  hair  bathed  in  sunlight,  and  supported 
by  the  wind. 

"My  son  and  daughter,"  said  Niord,  proudly, 
to  the  surrounding  ^Esir,  "Frey  and  Freyja, 
Summer  and  Beauty,  hand  in  hand." 

When  Frey  and  Freyja  dropped  upon  the  hill 
Niord  took  his  son  by  the  hand,  led  him  grace- 
fully to  the  foot  of  the  throne,  and  said,  "Look 
here,  dear  brother  Lord,  what  a  fair  young  in- 
structor I  have  brought  for  your  pretty  little  elves." 

Odin  was  very  much  pleased  with  the  appearance 
of  Frey;  but,  before  constituting  him  king  and 
schoolmaster  of  the  light  elves,  he  desired  to  know 
what  his  accomplishments  were,  and  what  he  con- 
sidered himself  competent  to  teach. 

"I  am  the  genius  of  clouds  and  sunshine," 
answered  Frey;  and  as  he  spoke,  the  essences  of 


58  THE  HEROES  OF  ASCARD. 

a  hundred  perfumes  were  exhaled  from  his  breath. 
"I  am  the  genius  of  clouds  and  sunshine,  and  if 
the  light  elves  will  have  me  for  their  king  I  can 
teach  them  how  to  burst  the  folded  buds,  to  set 
the  blossoms,  to  pour  sweetness  into  the  swelling 
fruit,  to  lead  the  bees  through  the  honey-passages 
of  the  flowers,  to  make  the  single  ear  a  stalk  of 
wheat,  to  hatch  birds'  eggs,  and  teach  the  little 
ones  to  sing — all  this,  and  much  more,"  said  Frey, 
"I  know,  and  will  teach  them." 

Then  answered  Odin,  "It  is  well;"  and  Frey 
took  his  scholars  away  with  him  to  Alfheim,  which 
is  in  every  beautiful  place  under  the  sua. 


THE  &SIR. 


59 


PART  IH 

NIFLHEIM. 

Now,  In  the  city  of  Asgard  dwelt  one  called  Loki, 
who,  though  amongst  the  ^Esir,  was  not  of  the  ^Esir, 
but  utterly  unlike  to  them;  for  to  do  the  wrong,  and 
leave  the  right  undone,  was,  night  and  day,  this  wicked 
Loki's  one  unwearied  aim.  How  he  came  amongst 
the  ^Esir  no  one  knew,  nor  even  whence  he  came. 
Once,  when  Odin  questioned  him  on  the  subject, 
Loki  stoutly  declared  that  there  had  been  a  time 
when  he  was  innocent  and  noble-purpose^  like  the 
JEsir  themselves;  but  that,  after  many  wanderings 
up  and  down  the  earth,  it  had  been  his  misfortune, 
Loki  said,  to  discover  the  half-burnt  heart  of  a 
woman;  "  since  when,"  continued  he,  "I  became 


60  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGAKD. 

what  you  now  see  me,  Odin."  As  this  was  too 
fearful  a  story  for  any  one  to  wish  to  hear  twice 
over  Odin  never  questioned  him  again. 

"Whilst  the  JEsir  were  building  their  city,  Loki, 
instead  of  helping  them,  had  been  continually  run- 
ning over  to  Jotunheim  to  make  friends  amongst 
the  giants  and  wicked  witches  of  the  place.  Now, 
amongst  the  witches  there  was  one  so  fearful  to 
behold  in  her  sin  and  her  cruelty,  that  one  would 
have  thought  it  impossible  even  for  such  an  one 
as  Loki  to  find  any  pleasure  in  her  companionship: 
nevertheless,  so  it  was  that  he  married  her,  and 
they  lived  together  a  long  time,  making  each 
other  worse  and  worse  out  of  the  abundance  of 
their  own  wicked  hearts,  and  bringing  up  their 
three  children  to  be  the  plague,  dread,  and  misery 
of  mankind.  These  three  children  were  just  what 
they  might  have  been  expected  to  be  from  their 
parentage  and  education.  The  eldest  was  Jormun- 
gand,  a  monstrous  serpent;  the  second  Fcnrir. 
most  ferocious  of  wolves;  the  third  was  Hela,  half 
corpse,  half  queen.  When  Loki  and  his  witch- 
wife  looked  at  their  fearful  progeny  they  thought 


THE 


within  themselves,  "What  would  the  ^Esir  say  if 
they  could  see?"  "But  they  cannot  see,"  said 
Loki;  "and,  lest  they  should  suspect  Witch-wife,  I 
will  go  back  to  Asgard  for  a  little  while,  and  salute 
old  Father  Odin  bravely,  as  if  I  had  no  secret 
here."  So  saying,  Loki  wished  his  wife  good-morn- 
ing, bade  her  hide  the  children  securely  in-doors, 
and  set  forth  on  the  road  to  Asgard 

But  all  the  time  he  was  travelling  Loki's  children 
went  on  growing,  and  long  before  he  had  reached 
the  lofty  city  Jormungand  had  become  so  large, 
that  his  mother  was  obliged  to  open  the  door  to 
let  his  tail  out  At  first  it  hung  only  a  little  way 
across  the  road;  but  he  grew,  Oh,  how  fearfully 
Jormungand  grew!  Whether  it  was  from  sudden 
exposure  to  the  air,  I  do  not  know;  but,  in  a  single 
day  he  grew  from  one  end  of  Jotunheim  to  the 
other,  and  early  next  morning  began  to  shoot  out 
in  the  direction  of  Asgard.  Luckily,  however,  just 
at  that  moment  Odin  caught  sight  of  him,  when, 
from  the  top  of  Air  Throne,  the  eyes  of  this  vigilant 
ruler  were  taking  their  morning  walk.  '"Now,* 
said  Odin,  "it  is  quite  clear,  Frigga,  that  I  must 


6a  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

remain  in  idleness  no  longer  at  Asgard,  for  monsters 
are  bred  up  in  Jotunheim,  and  the  earth  has  need 
of  me."  So  saying,  descending  instantly  from 
Air  Throne,  Odin  went  forth  of  Asgard's  golden 
gates  to  tread  the  earth  of  common  men,  fight- 
ing to  pierce  through  Jotunheim,  and  slay  its 
monstrous  sins. 

In  his  journeyings  Odin  mixed  freely  with  the 
people  of  the  countries  through  which  he  passed; 
shared  with  them  toil  and  pleasure,  war  and  grief; 
taught  them  out  of  his  own  large  experience,  in- 
spired them  with  his  noble  thoughts,  and  exalted 
them  by  his  example.  Even  to  the  oldest  he  could 
teach  much;  and  in  the  evening,  when  the  labours 
of  the  day  were  ended,  and  the  sun  cast  slanting 
rays  upon  the  village  green,  it  was  pleasant  to 
see  the  sturdy  village  youths  grouped  round  that 
noble  chief,  hanging  open  mouthed  upon  his  words, 
as  he  told  them  of  his  great  fight  with  the 
giant  of  long  ago,  and  then  pointing  towards 
Jotunheim,  explained  to  ihem  how  that  fight  was 
not  yet  over,  for  that  giants  and  monsters  grew 
round  them  on  every  side,  and  they,  too,  might 


THE  JESIR. 


do    battle    bravely,  and    be    heroes    and  JEsir  of 
the  earth. 

One  evening,  after  thus  drinking  in  his  burning 
words  they  all  trooped  together  to  the  village 
smithy,  and  Odin  forged  for  them  all  night  arms 
and  armour,  instructing  them,  at  the  same  time, 
in  their  use.  In  the  morning  he  said,  "Farewell, 
children;  I  have  further  to  go  than  you  can  come; 
but  do  not  forget  me  when  I  am  gone,  nor  how 
to  fight  as  I  have  taught  you.  Never  cease  to  be 
true  and  brave;  never  turn  your  arms  against  one 
another;  and  never  turn  them  away  from  the  giant 
and  the  oppressor." 

Then  the  villagers  returned  to  their  homes  and 
their  field-labour,  and  Odin  pressed  on,  through 
trackless  uninhabited  woods,  up  silent  mountains, 
over  the  lonely  ocean,  until  he  reached  that  strange, 
mysterious  meeting-place  of  sea  and  sky.  There, 
brooding  over  the  waters  like  a  grey  sea  fog,  sat 
Mimer,  guardian  of  the  well  where  wit  and  wisdom 
lie  hidden. 

"Mimer,"  said  Odin,  going  up  to  him  boldly, 
"let  me  drink  of  the  waters  of  wisdom." 


64  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

"Truly,  Odin,"  answered  Mimer,  "it  is  a  great 
treasure  that  you  seek,  and  one  which  many  have 
sought  before,  but  who,  when  they  knew  the  price 
of  it,  turned  back." 

Then  replied  Odin,  "I  would  give  my  right 
hand  for  wisdom  willingly." 

"Nay,"  rejoined  the  remorseless  Mimer,  "it  is 
not  your  right  hand,  but  your  right  eye  you  must 
give." 

Odin  was  very  sorry  when  he  heard  the  words 
of  Mimer,  and  yet  he  did  not  deem  the  price  too 
great;  for  plucking  out  his  right  eye,  and  casting 
it  from  him,  he  received  in  return  a  draught  of 
the  fathomless  deep.  As  Odin  gave  back  the  horn 
into  Mimer's  hand  he  felt  as  if  there  were  a 
fountain  of  wisdom  springing  up  within  him — an 
inward  light;  for  which  you  may  be  sure  he  never 
grudged  having  given  his  perishable  eye.  Now, 
also,  he  knew  what  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  do 
in  order  to  become  a  really  noble  Asa,*  and  that 
was  to  push  on  to  the  extreme  edge  of  the  earth 
itself,  and  peep  over  into  Niflhcim.  Odin  knew 

•Attr-thc  singular  of  /ICsir. 


THE 


it  was  precisely  that  he  must  do;  and  precisely 
that  he  did.  Onward  and  northward  he  went  over 
ice-bound  seas,  through  twilight,  fog,  and  snow, 
right  onward  in  the  face  of  winds  that  were  like 
swords  until  he  came  into  the  unknown  land,  where 
sobs,  and  sighs,  and  sad,  unfinished  shapes  were 
drifting  up  and  down.  "Then,"  said  Odin,  thought- 
fully, "I  have  come  to  the  end  of  all  creation, 
and  a  little  further  on  Niflheim  must  lie." 

Accordingly  he  pushed  on  further  and  further 
until  he  reached  the  earth's  extremest  edge,  where, 
lying  down  and  leaning  over  from  its  last  cold  peak, 
he  looked  into  the  gulf  below.  It  was  Niflheim.  At 
first  Odin  imagined  that  it  was  only  empty  dark- 
ness; but,  after  hanging  there  three  nights  and 
days,  his  eye  fell  on  one  of  Yggdrasil's  mighty 
stems.  Yggdrasil  was  the  old  earth-tree,  whose 
roots  sprang  far  and  wide,  from  Jotunheim,  from 
above,  and  this,  the  oldest  of  the  three,  out  of 
Niflheim.  Odin  looked  long  upon  its  time-worn, 
knotted  fibres,  and  watched  how  they  were  for  ever 
gnawed  by  Nidhogg  the  envious  serpent,  and  his 
brood  of  poisonous  diseases.  Then  he  wondered 


66  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

what  he  should  see  next ;  and  one  by  one  spectres 
arose  from  Nastrond,  the  Shore  of  Corpses — arose 
and  wandered  pale,  naked,  nameless,  and  without 
a  home.  Then  Odin  looked  down  deeper  into  the 
abyss  of  abysses,  and  saw  all  its  shapeless,  name- 
less ills;  whilst  far  below  him,  deeper  than  Nas- 
trond, Yggdrasil,  and  Nidhogg,  roared  Hvergelmir, 
the  boiling  cauldron  of  evil.  Nine  nights  and  days 
this  brave  wise  Asa  hung  over  Niflheim  pondering. 
More  brave  and  more  wise  he  turned  away  from 
it  than  when  he  came.  It  is  true  that  he  sighed 
often  on  his  road  thence  to  Jotunheim;  but  is  it 
not  always  thus  that  wisdom  and  strength  coioe 
to  us  weeping 


THE 


PART  IV. 

THE  CHILDREN   OF  LOKL 

WHEN,  at  length,  Odin  found  himself  in  the  land  of 
giants — frost  giants,  mountain  giants,  three-headed 
and  wolf-headed  giants,  monsters  and  iron  witches 
of  every  kind — he  walked  straight  on,  without 
stopping  to  fight  with  any  one  of  them,  until  he 
came  to  the  middle  of  Jormungand's  body.  Then 
he  seized  the  monster,  growing  fearfully  as  he 
was  all  the  time,  and  threw  him  headlong  into 
the  deep  ocean.  There  Jormungand  still  grew, 
until,  encircling  the  whole  earth,  he  found  that 
his  tail  was  growing  down  his  throat,  after  which 
he  lay  quite  still,  binding  himself  together; 
and  neither  Odin  nor  any  one  else  has  been 


68  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

able  to  move  him  thence.  When  Odin  had  thus 
disposed  of  Jormungand,  henceforth  called  the 
Midgard  Serpent,  he  went  on  to  the  house  of 
Loki's  wife.  The  door  was  thrown  open,  and  the 
wicked  Witch-mother  sat  in  the  entrance,  whilst  on 
one  side  crouched  Fenrir,  her  ferocious  wolf-son, 
and  on  the  other  stood  Hela,  most  terrible  of 
monsters  and  women.  A  crowd  of  giants  strode 
after  Odin,  curious  to  obtain  a  glance  of  Loki's 
strange  children  before  they  should  be  sent  away. 
At  Fenrir  and  the  Witch-mother  they  stared  with 
great  eyes,  joyfully  and  savagely  glittering;  but 
when  he  looked  at  Hela  each  giant  became  as 
pale  as  new  snow,  and  cold  with  terror  as  a  mountain 
of  ice,  Pale,  cold,  frozen,  they  never  moved  again  • 
but  a  rugged  chain  of  rocks  stood  behind  Odin,  and 
he  looked  on  fearless  and  unchilled. 

"Strange  daughter  of  Loki,"  he  said,  speaking  to 
Hela,  "  you  have  the  head  of  a  queen,  proud  fore- 
head, and  large,  imperial  eyes;  but  your  heart  is 
pulseless,  and  your  cruel  arms  kill  what  they 
embrace.  Without  doubt  you  have  somewhere  a 
kingdom;  not  where  the  sun  shines,  and  men 


THE 


69 


breathe  the  free  air,  but  down  below  in  infinite 
depths,  where  bodiless  spirits  wander,  and  the  cast-off 
corpses  are  cold." 

Then  Odin  pointed  downwards  towards  Niflheim, 
and  Hela  sank  right  through  the  earth,  downward, 
downward,  to  that  abyss  of  abysses,  where  she 
ruled  over  spectres,  and  made  for  herself  a  home 
called  Helheim,  nine  lengthy  kingdoms  wide  and 
deep. 

After  this,  Odin  desired  Fenrir  to  follow  him, 
promising  that  if  he  became  tractable  and  obedient, 
and  exchanged  his  ferocity  for  courage,  he  should 
not  be  banished  as  his  brother  and  sister  had  been. 
So  Fenrir  followed,  and  Odin  led  the  way  out  of 
Jotunheim,  across  the  ocean,  over  the  earth,  until 
he  came  to  the  heavenly  hills,  which  held  up  the 
southern  sky  tenderly  in  their  glittering  arms. 
There,  half  on  the  mountain-top  and  half  in  air, 
sat  Heimdall,  guardian  of  the  tremulous  bridge 
Bifrost,  that  arches  from  earth  to  heaven. 

Heimdall  was  a  tall,  white  Van,  with  golden  teeth, 
and  a  wonderful  horn,  called  the  Giallar  Horn,  which 
he  generally  kept  hidden  under  the  tree  Yggdrasil ; 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


but  when  he  blew  it  the  sound  went  out  into  all 
worlds. 

Now,  Odin  had  never  been  introduced  to  Heim- 
dall — had  never  even  seen  him  before;  but  he 
did  not  pass  him  by  without  speaking  on  that 
account  On  the  contrary,  being  altogether  much 
struck  by  his  appearance,  he  could  not  refrain 
from  asking  him  a  few  questions.  First,  he  re- 
quested to  know  whom  he  had  the  pleasure  of 
addressing;  secondly,  who  his  parents  were,  and 
what  his  education  had  been;  and  thirdly,  how 
he  explained  his  present  circumstances  and  occu- 
pation. 

aMy  name  is  Heimdall,"  answered  the  guardian 
of  Bifrost,  "and  the  son  of  nine  sisters  am  I. 
Born  in  the  beginning  of  time,  at  the  boundaries 
of  the  ear  Ji,  I  was  fed  on  the  strength  of  the  earth 
and  the  cold  sea.  My  training,  moreover,  was  so 
perfect,  that  I  now  need  no  more  sleep  than  a 
bird.  I  can  sec  for  a  hundred  miles  around  me 
as  well  by  night  as  by  day;  I  can  hear  the  gnu>s 
growing  and  the  wool  on  the  backs  of  sheep.  I 
can  blow  mightily  my  horn  Giallar,  and  I  for  ever 


THE 


guard  the  tremulous  bridge-head  against  monsters, 
giants,  iron  witches,  and  dwarfs." 

Then  asked  Odin,  gravely,  "  Is  it  also  forbidden  to 
the  -<Esir  to  pass  this  way,  Heimdall?  Must  you 
guard  Bifrost,  also,  against  them  ?" 

"Assuredly  not,"  answered  HeimdalL  "All 
^Esir  and  heroes  are  free  to  tread  its  trembling, 
many-coloured  pavement,  and  they  will  do  well  to 
tread  it,  for  above  the  arch's  summit  I  know  that 
the  Urda  fountain  springs;  rises,  and  falls,  in  a 
perpetual  glitter,  and  by  its  sacred  waters  the 
Nornir  dwell — those  three  mysterious,  mighty 
maidens,  through  whose  cold  fingers  ran  the  golden 
threads  of  Time." 

"Enough,  Heimdall,"  answered  Odin.  "To- 
morrow we  will  come.* 


73  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


PART  V. 

BIFROST,   URDA,   AND    THE    NORN3. 

ODIN  departed  from  Heimdall,  and  went  on  his 
way,  Fenrir  obediently  following,  though  not  now 
much  noticed  by  his  captor,  who  pondered  over  the 
new  wonders  of  which  he  had  heard.  "  Bifrost, 
Urda,  and  the  Norns — what  can  they  mean  ?" 

Thus  pondering  and  wondering  he  went,  as- 
cended Asgard's  Hill,  walked  through  the  golden 
gates  of  the  City  into  the  palace  of  Gladsheim,  and 
into  the  hall  Valhalla,  where,  just  then,  the  yEsir 
and  Asyniur  *  were  assembled  at  their  evening  meal 
Odin  sat  down  to  the  table  without  speaking,  and, 
still  absent  and  meditative,  proceeded  to  carve  the 

•  Aiyniur— Goddcs*d. 


THE  &SIR. 


great  boar,  Saehrimnir,  which  every  evening  eaten, 
was  every  morning  whole  again.  No  one  thought  of 
disturbing  him  by  asking  any  questions,  for  they 
saw  that  something  was  on  his  mind,  and  the  JEsir 
were  well-bred.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  the 
supper  would  have  been  concluded  in  perfect 
silence  if  Fenrir  had  not  poked  his  nose  in  at  the 
doorway,  just  opposite  to  the  seat  of  the  lovely 
Freyja.  She,  genius  of  beauty  as  she  was,  and 
who  had  never  in  her  whole  life  seen  even  the 
shadow  of  a  wolf,  covered  her  face  with  her  hands, 
and  screamed  a  little,  which  caused  all  the  ^Esir 
to  start  and  turn  round,  in  order  to  see  what  was 
the  matter.  But  Odin  directed  a  reproving  glance 
at  the  ill-mannered  Fenrir,  and  then  gave  orders 
that  the  wolf  should  be  fed;  "after  which,"  con- 
cluded he,  "I  will  relate  my  adventures  to  the 
assembled  ^Esir." 

"That  is  all  very  well,  Asa  Odin,"  answered 
Frey;  "but  who,  let  me  ask,  is  to  undertake  the 
office  of  feeding  yon  hideous  and  unmannerly 
animal  ?" 

"That  will    I,    joyfully,"  cried    Tyr,   who  liked 

F 


74  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

nothing  better  than  an  adventure;  and  then,  seizing 
a  plate  of  meat  from  the  table,  he  ran  out  of  the 
hall,  followed  by  Fenrir,  who  howled,  and  sniffed, 
and  jumped  up  at  him  in  a  most  impatient,  un- 
^Esir-like  manner. 

After  the  wolf  was  gone  Freyja  looked  up  again, 
and  when  Tyr  was  seated  once  more,  Odin  began. 
He  told  them  of  everything  that  he  had  seen,  and 
done,  and  suffered;  and,  at  last,  of  Heimdall,  that 
strange  white  Van,  who  sat  upon  the  heavenly 
hills,  and  spoke  of  Bifrost,  and  Urda,  and  the 
Norns.  The  ^Esir  were  very  silent  whilst  Odin 
spoke  to  them,  and  were  deeply  and  strangcl) 
moved  by  this  conclusion  to  his  discourse. 

"The  Norns,"  repeated  Frigga,  "the  Fountain 
of  Urd,  the  golden  threads  of  time!  Let  us  go, 
my  children,"  she  said,  rising  from  the  table,  "let 
us  go  and  look  at  these  things." 

But  Odin  advised  that  they  should  wait  until 
the  next  day,  as  the  journey  to  Bifrost  and 
back  again  could  easily  be  accomplished  in  a 
single  morning. 

Accordingly,  the  next  day  the  ^sir  and  Asyniur  all 


THE  &SIR. 


75 


rose  with  the  sun,  and  prepared  to  set  forth.  Niord 
came  from  Noatun,  the  mild  sea-coast,  which  he  had 
made  his  home,  and  with  continual  gentle  puffings 
out  of  his  wide,  breezy  mouth,  he  made  their 
journey  to  Bifrost  so  easy  and  pleasant,  that  they 
all  felt  a  little  sorry  when  they  caught  the  first 
glitter  of  HeimdalPs  golden  teeth.  But  Heimdall 
was  glad  to  see  them;  glad,  at  least,  for  their 
sakes.  He  thought  it  would  be  so  good  for  them 
to  go  and  see  the  Norns.  As  far  as  he  himself 
was  concerned  he  never  felt  dull  alone.  On  the  top 
of  those  bright  hills  how  many  meditations  he  had ! 
Looking  far  and  wide  over  the  earth  how  much  he 
saw  and  heard ! 

"Come  already!"  said  Heimdall  to  the  ^Esir, 
stretching  out  his  long,  white  hands  to  welcome 
them;  "come  already!  Ah!  this  is  Niord's  doing. 
How  do  you  do,  cousin,"  said  he;  for  Niord  and 
Heimdall  were  related. 

"How  sweet  and  fresh  it  is  up  here!"  remarked 
Frigga,  looking  all  round,  and  feeling  that  it  would 
be  polite  to  say  something.  "You  are  very  happy, 
Sir,"  continued  she,  "in  having  always  such  fine 


7  6  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

scenery  about  you,  and  in  being  the  guardian  of 
such  a  bridge." 

And  in  truth  Frigga  might  well  say  "such  a 
bridge;"  for  the  like  of  it  was  never  seen  on  the 
ground.  Trembling  and  glittering  it  swung  across 
the  sky,  up  from  the  top  of  the  mountain  to 
the  clouds,  and  down  again  into  the  distant  sea. 

"Bifrost!  Bifrost!"  exclaimed  the  ALsir,  wonder- 
ingly;  and  Heimdall  was  pleased  at  their  surprise. 

"At  the  arch's  highest  point,"  said  he,  pointing 
upward,  "rises  that  fountain  of  which  I  spoke. 
Do  you  wish  to  see  it  to-day?" 

"That  do  we,  indeed,"  cried  all  the  JEsir  in  a 
breath.  "Quick,  Heimdall,  and  unlock  the  bridge's 
golden  gate." 

Then  Heimdall  took  all  his  keys  out,  and  fitted 
them  into  the  diamond  lock  till  he  found  the  right 
one,  and  the  gate  flew  open  with  a  sound  at  the 
same  time  sad  and  cheerful,  like  the  dripping 
of  leaves  after  a  thunder-shower. 

The  JEsiT  pressed  in;  but,  as  they  passed  him, 
Heimdall  laid  his  hand  upon  Trier's  shoulder,  and 
•aid  "I  am  very  sorry,  Thor;  but  it  cannot  be 


THE  JESIR. 


77 


helped.  You  must  go  to  the  fountain  alone  by 
another  way;  for  you  are  so  strong  *and  heavy, 
that  if  you  were  to  put  your  foot  on  Bifrost,  either 
it  would  tremble  in  pieces  beneath  your  weight, 
or  take  fire  from  the  friction  of  your  iron  heels. 
Yonder,  however,  are  two  river-clouds,  called  Kormt 
and  Ermt,  through  which  you  can  wade  to  the 
Sacred  Urd,  and  you  will  assuredly  reach  it  in 
time,  though  the  waters  of  the  clouds  are  strong 
and  deep." 

At  the  words  of  Heimdall  Thor  fell  back  from 
the  bridge's  head,  vexed  and  sorrowful.  "Am  I 
to  be  sent  away,  then,  and  have  to  do  disagreeable 
things,"  said  he,  "just  because  I  am  so  strong? 
After  all,  what  are  Urda  and  the  Norns  to  me, 
and  Kormt  and  Ermt?  I  will  go  back  to  Asgard 
again." 

"Nay,  Thor,"  said  Odin,  "I  pray  you,  do  not 
anything  so  foolish.  Think  again,  I  beseech  you, 
what  it  is  that  we  are  going  to  see  and  hear. 
Kormt  and  Ermt  lie  before  you,  as  Bifrost  before 
us.  It  is  yonder,  above  both,  that  we  go.  Neither 
can  it  much  matter,  Thor,  whether  we  reach 


78  TfJE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

the  Fountain  of  Urd  over  Bifrost  or  through  the 
cloud." 

Then  Thor  blushed  with  shame  at  his  own 
weakness,  which  had  made  him  regret  his  strength; 
and,  without  any  more  grumbling  or  hanging 
back,  he  plunged  into  the  dreadful  river-clouds, 
whose  dark  vapours  closed  around  him  and  co- 
vered him.  He  was  hidden  from  sight,  and 
the  ALsir  went  on  their  way  over  the  glittering 
bridge. 

Daintily  and  airily  they  trod  over  it;  they  swung 
themselves  up  the  swinging  arch;  they  reached  its 
summit  on  a  pale,  bright  cloud.  Thor  was  there 
already  waiting  for  them,  drenched  and  weary, 
but  cheerful  and  bold  Then,  all  together,  they 
knocked  at  the  door  of  the  pale,  bright  cloud;  it 
blew  open,  and  they  passed  in.  Oh!  then  what 
did  they  see!  Looking  up  to  an  infinite  height 
through  the  purple  air,  they  saw  towering  above 
them  Yggdrasil's  fairest  branches,  leafy  and  of 
a  tender  green,  which  also  stretched  far  and  wide; 
but,  though  they  looked  long,  the  A&IT  could  dis- 
tinguish no  topmost  bough,  and  it  almost  seemed 


THE  M&IR. 


to  them  that,  from  somewhere  up  above,  this  mighty 
earth-tree  must  draw  another  root,  so  firmly  and 
so  tall  it  grew.  On  one  side  stood  the  Palace  of 
the  Noras,  which  was  so  bright  that  it  almost 
blinded  them  to  look  at  it,  and  on  the  other  the 
Urda  fountain  plashed  its  cool  waters — rising,  fall- 
ing, glittering,  as  nothing  ever  glitters  on  this  side 
the  clouds.  Two  ancient  swans  swam  under  the 
fount,  and  around  it  sat  Three.  Ah!  how  shall  I 
describe  them — Urd,  Verdandi,  Skuld.  They  were 
mighty,  they  were  wilful,  and  one  was  veiled. 
Sitting  upon  the  Doomstead,  they  watched  the 
water  as  it  rose  and  fell,  and  passed  golden  threads 
from  one  to  another.  Verdandi  plucked  them 
with  busy  fingers  from  Skuld's  reluctant  hand, 
and  wove  them  in  and  out  quickly,  almost  care- 
lessly; for  some  she  tore  and  blemished,  and 
some  she  cruelly-  spoiled.  Then  Urd  took  the 
woof  away  from  her,  smoothed  its  rough  places, 
and  covered  up  some  of  the  torn,  gaping  holes; 
but  she  hid  away  many  of  the  bright  parts,  too, 
and  then  rolled  it  all  round  her  great  roller, 
Oblivion,  which  grew  thicker  and  heavier  every 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


moment  And  so  they  went  on,  Verdandi  draw- 
ing from  Skuld,  and  Urd  from  Verdandi;  but 
whence  Skuld  drew  her  separate  bright  threads 
no  one  could  see.  She  never  seemed  to  reach 
the  end  of  them,  and  neither  of  the  sisters  ever 
stopped  or  grew  weary  of  her  work. 

The  ^Esir  stood  apart  watching,  and  it  was  a 
great  sight  They  looked  in  the  face  of  Urd, 
and  fed  on  wisdom;  they  studied  the  countenance 
of  Verdandi,  and  drank  bitter  strength;  they 
glanced  through  the  veil  of  Skuld,  and  tasted 
hope.  At  length,  with  full  hearts,  they  stole  away 
silently,  one  by  one,  out  by  the  pale,  open  door, 
re-crossed  the  bridge,  and  stood  once  more  by 
the  side  of  Heimdall  on  the  heavenly  hills;  then 
they  went  home  again.  Nobody  spoke  as  they 
went;  but  ever  afterwards  it  was  an  understood 
thing  that  the  JEsir  should  fare  to  the  Doomstead 
of  the  Nornir  once  in  every  day. 


THE  &SIR. 


PART  VL 
ODMBCfc 

Now  upon  a  day  it  happened  that  Odin  sat  silent 
by  the  Well  of  Urd,  and  in  the  evening  he  mounted 
Air  Throne  with  a  troubled  mind.  Allfather  could 
see  into  Dwarf  Home  from  his  high  place,  as  well 
as  over  man's  world ;  his  keen  eye  pierced,  also,  the 
mountains  and  darkness  of  Jotunheim. 

On  this  evening,  a  tear,  the  fate-sisters'  gift,  swam 
across  his  vision,  and — behold,  is  that  an  answering 
tear  which  he  sees  down  there  in  Dwarf  Home,  large, 
luminous,  golden,  in  the  dark  heart  of  the  earth? 
"  Can  dwarfs  weep  ?  "  exclaimed  Allfather,  surprised 
as  he  looked  a  second  and  a  third  time,  and  went  on 
looking.  Fialar  and  Galar,  the  cunning  dwarfs  who 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


had  killed  Kvasir,  were  kneeling  beside  the  tear. 
"  Is  it  theirs  ?  "  said  Allfather  again,  "  and  do  they 
repent?"  No;  it  was  not  a  tear;  Odin  knew 
it  at  last  More  precious  still,  it  was  Kvasir's 
blood  —  golden  mead  now,  because  of  the  honey- 
drops  from  Earth's  thousand  bees  and  flowers  which 
these  thoughtless  mischief-schemers,  but  wonder 
workers,  had  poured  into  it  "  It  is  three,"  said 
Odin,  "  three  precious  draughts  !  —  Odhaerir  is  its  name 
—  and  now  the  dwarfs  will  drink  it,  and  the  life  and 
the  light,  and  the  sweetness  of  the  world  will  be  spilt, 
and  the  heart  of  the  world  will  die  !  "  But  the  dwarfs 
did  not  drink  it;  they  could  only  sip  it  a  little,  just 
a  drop  or  two  at  a  time.  The  Father  of  Hosts 
watched  how  they  were  amusing  themselves. 

Fialar  and  Galar,  and  a  whole  army  of  the  little 
blackfaced,  crooked-limbed  creatures,  were  tilting  the 
big  jars  over  to  one  side,  whilst  first  one,  and  then 
another,  sucked  the  skim  of  their  golden  sweet- 
ness, smacking  their  lips  after  it,  grinning  horribly, 
leaping  up  into  the  air  with  strange  gestures; 
falling  backwards  with  shut  eyes  some  of 
as  if  asleep;  tearing  at  the  earth  and 


THE 


the  stones  of  their  cavern  homes  others,  like 
wild  beasts ;  rolling  forth  beautiful,  senseless,  terrible 
words. 

It  was  Fialar  and  Galar  who  did  that ;  and  behold, 
in  a  little  while,  one  after  another,  the  dwarfs  gathered 
round  them  as  they  spoke,  and  listened,  open-mouthed, 
with  clenched  fists,  stamping,  and  roaring  applause 
until  at  last  they  seized  the  weapons  that  lay 
near,  cocked  their  earth  caps,  each  alit  with 
a  coloured  star,  and  marched  in  warlike  fashion, 
led  on  by  Fialar  and  Galar,  straight  up  through 
their  cavernous  ways,  to  Manheim,  and  across 
it  into  the  Frozen  Land. 

Giant  Vafthrudnir,  that  "  Ancient  Talker,"  he  who 
sits  ever  in  his  Hall  weaving  new  and  intricate  ques- 
tions for  the  gods,  saw  them ;  and  looking  up  towards 
the  brooding  heavens,  he  exchanged  glances  with 
the  Father  of  Hosts.  But  the  dwarfs  did  not  come 
near  Vafthriidnir's  Halls ;  they  never  looked  aside  at 
him,  nor  up  to  the  Air  Throne  of  the  Asa;  only 
rushed  heedlessly  on  till  they  stumbled  over  the  Giant 
Gilling,  who  was  taking  a  nap  upon  the  green  bank 
of  Ifing-  Ifing  looks  a  lazy  stream;  one  can 


84  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

hardly  see  at  first  sight  that  it  flows  at  all  :  but  it 
flows,  and  flows  quietly,  unceasingly,  and  is  so 
deep  that  neither  god  nor  giant  has  ever  yet  been 
able  to  fathom  it  It  is,  in  fact,  that  stream  which 
divides  for  ever  the  Jotuns  from  the  Gods,  and  of  it 
Odin  himself  once  said  : — 

"  Open  shall  it  run 
Throughout  all  time, 
On  that  stream  no  ice  shall  be." 

So  the  dwarfs  found  Gilling  asleep;  they  knew 
how  deep  Ifing  was,  they  knew  that  if  they  could 
once  roll  the  giant  Gilling  in  there  he  would  never 
get  out  again,  and  then  they  should  have  done 
something  worth  speaking  about 

"I  have  killed  a  giant,"  each  dwarf  might  say, 
and,  who  knows,  even  the  JEsii  might  begin  to 
feel  a  little  afraid  of  them. 

"  It  all  comes  from  drinking  KvasiVs  blood,"  they 
said,  and  then  with  their  thousand  little  swords  and 
spears,  and  sticks  and  stones,  they  worked  away 
until  they  had  plunged  the  sleeping  giant  into  the 
stream.  Allfather's  piercing  eye  saw  it  all,  and 
how  the  silly  dwarfs  jumped  and  danced  about 


THE  jESlR. 


afterwards,  and  praised  themselves,  and  defied  the 
whole  world,  gods,  giants  and  men. 

"It  is  not  for  us,"  they  said,  "any  more  to  run 
away  before  Skinfaxi  the  shining  horse  that  draws 
day  over  humankind,  whose  mane  sheds  light 
instead  of  dew;  we  will  dance  before  him  and 
crown  ourselves  with  gold,  as  the  gods  and  as  men 
do  every  morning. 

But,  in  the  midst  of  all  their  gleeful  folly,  the 
ground  they  stood  upon  began  to  shake  under 
them,  and  an  enormous  darkness  grew  between 
them  and  the  sky.  Then  the  dwarfs  stopped  their 
rejoicing  as  if  a  spell  had  fallen  upon  them,  dropping 
their  weapons,  huddling  close  to  one  another,  cower- 
ing, whispering.  Giant  Suttung,  son  of  that  Gilling 
whom  they  had  just  slain,  was  coming  upon  them 
in  great  fury  to  avenge  his  father's  death.  They 
were  dreadfully  frightened;  Giant  Gilling  asleep 
had  been  easy  to  manage,  but  a  giant  awake,  a 
giant  angry — they  were  not  the  same  dwarfs  that 
they  had  seemed  half  an  hour  ago— and  so  it 
happened  that  they  quite  easily  let  Suttung  carry 
them  all  off  to  a  low  rock  in  the  sea  which  was 


86  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

dry  just  then,  but  would  be  washed  over  by  the 
morning  tide.  "  There  you  are,"  said  Suttung  as  he 
threw  them  all  down  upon  the  rock,  "  and  there  you 
shall  stay  until  the  hungry  grey  wave  comes."  "  But 
then  we  shall  be  drowned,"  they  all  screeched  at 
once,  and  the  seamews  started  from  their  nests 
ashore  and  swooped  round  the  lonely  rock,  and 
screeched  as  well.  Suttung  strode  back  to  the 
shore  and  sat  on  the  high  rocks  over  the 
seamews'  nests,  and  poked  his  fingers  into  the  nests 
and  played  with  the  grey-winged  birds,  and  paddled 
his  feet  in  the  breakers,  and  laughed  and  echoed 
the  dwarfs  and  the  seamews.  "Drowned,  drowned, 
yes,  then  you  will  be  drowned."  Then  the  dwarfs 
whispered  together  and  consulted,  they  all  talked 
at  once,  and  every  one  of  them  said  a  different 
thing,  for  they  were  in  fact  a  little  intoxicated  still 
by  the  sips  they  had  taken  of  Odhairir.  At  last 
Fialar  and  Galar  said  the  same  same  thing  over 
so  often  that  the  others  began  to  listen  to  them. 
"The  sky  is  getting  quite  grey,"  they  said,  "and  the 
stars  are  going  out,  and  Skinfaxi  is  coming,  and 
the  waves  are  gathering  and  gathering  and  gathering ; 


GIANT  SUTTUNG  AND  THE  DWARFS. 


Page  86. 


THE  &SIR. 


hoarse  are  the  voices  of  the  Seaking's  daughters; 
but  why  do  we  all  sit  chattering  here  instead  of 
getting  away  as  we  might  easily  do  if  we  did  but 
bribe  the  giant  Suttung  with  a  gift"  "Yes,  yes, 
yes,"  shouted  the  silly  little  people,  "shall  we  give 
him  our  cap  jewels,  or  our  swords,  or  our  pick-axes, 
or  our  lanterns,  or  shall  we  promise  to  make  him 
a  necklace  out  of  the  fire  of  the  sun  and  the  flowers 
of  the  earth,  or  shall  we  build  him  a  ship  of  ships  ?" 

"Nonsense,"  said  Fialar  and  Galar;  "How  should 
a  giant  care  for  such  things  as  these?  Our  swords 
could  not  help  him;  he  does  not  want  pick-axes 
nor  lanterns  who  lives  amongst  the  mountain  snows, 
nor  ships  who  can  stride  across  the  sea,  nor  neck- 
laces— Bah !  A  giant  loves  life,  he  drinks  blood, 
he  is  greedy  besides  and  longs  to  taste  the  gold 
mead  of  the  gods." 

Then  all  the  dwarfs  shouted  together,  "Let  us 
give  him  our  gold  mead,  our  wondrous  drink, 
Odhserir,  our  Kvasir's  blood  in  the  three  stone  jars." 

Odin  heard  from  Air  Throne's  blue  deep.  He 
brooded  over  the  scene.  "The  sweetness,  and. the 
life,  and  the  light  of  the  world,  then,"  he  said,  "  are  to 


gg  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

satiate  a  giant's  greediness  of  food  and  blood" — and  it 
was  for  mankind  that  he  became  Terror  in  the  trem- 
bling Height  Allfather  feared  nothing  for  the  gods  at 
that  time :  could  he  not  pierce  into  Jotunheim,  and 
Svartheim,  and  Manheim  alike  ?  Suttung  heard  also 
from  the  Rock. — "And  what  may  this  Odhserir  be  worth 
that  you  boast  of  so  much?"  he  shouted  to  the  dwarfs. 
"  Wisdom,  and  labour,  and  fire,  and  life,  and  love,"  said 
the  dwarfs.  u  Tut,  tut,  tut  I"  answered  Suttung. 
"Does  it  taste  well?"  "Honey  and  wine;  like  the 
blood  of  a  God  and  the  milk  of  the  Earth."  Then 
Suttung  got  up  slowly  from  the  rock,  pressing  it  down 
with  his  hands  into  two  little  dells  as  he  rose,  and 
strode  to  the  island,  from  which  he  took  up  all  the 
dwarfs  at  a  grasp — they  clinging  to  his  fists  and  wrists 
like  needles  to  a  magnet ;  and,  with  one  swoop,  threw 
them  ashore  just  as  the  hungry  waves  began  to  lap  and 
wash  about  the  dwarfs-peril.  So  the  dwarfs  jumped, 
and  leaped,  and  laughed,  and  sang,  and  chattered 
M-^riin,  and  ran  on  before  Suttung,  to  fetch  him  the 
golden  mead,  Odhaerir.  Three  big  stone  jars,  all  full 
The  Spirit-mover,  the  Peace-offer,  the  Peace-kiss. 
Suttung  lifted  the  lids,  and  looked  into  the  jars.  "  It 


THE  MSIR.  89 


doesn't  look  much,"  he  said ;  "and,  after  all,  I  don't 
know  that  I  shall  care  to  taste  it ;  but  I'll  take  the 
jars  home  to  my  daughter  Gunnlod,  and  they  will 
make  a  pretty  treasure  for  her  to  keep." 

Odin  brooded  over  the  scene.  It  was  a  grey  win- 
ter's morning  in  Jotunheim — ice  over  all  the  rivers, 
snow  upon  the  mountains,  rime-writing  across  the 
woods,  weird  hoar  letters  straggling  over  the  bare 
branches  of  the  trees,  writing  such  as  giants  and  gods 
can  read,  but  men  see  it  only  as  pearl-drops  of  the 
cold.  Suttung  could  read  it  well  enough  as  he 
trudged  along  to  his  Mountain  Home — better  than 
he  had  ever  read  it  before;  for  was  he  not  bearing 
upon  his  shoulders  the  wondrous  Kvasir's  life-giv- 
ing blood,  Odhaerir.  Odin  read  it,  "This  is  omin- 
ous, Odin;  this  is  dark.  Shall  the  gold  mead  be 
made  captive  in  frozen  halls?"  For  behold, 
the  life-tear  becomes  dark  in  the  dark  land,  as 
Suttung's  huge  door  opened  to  let  him  in,  him 
and  his  treasure,  and  then  closed  upon  them  both, 
Suttung  gave  the  mead  to  his  daughter  Gunnlod  to 
keep,  to  guard  it  well,  and — the  heart  of  Manheim 

trembled,  it  was  empty  and  cold.     Then  Odin  looked 
o 


9o 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


north  and  south  and  east  and  west,  over  the  whole 
world.  "Come  to  me,"  he  said,  and  two  swift-winged 
ravens  flew  towards  him.  It  seemed  as  if  they  came 
out  of  nothing  ;  for  in  a  moment  they  were  not  there 
and  they  were  there.  Their  names  were  Hugin  and 
Munin,  and  they  came  from  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
where  Odin  sent  them  every  morning.  Every  even- 
ing he  was  wont  to  say  of  them, — 

MI  fear  me  for  Hugin, 
Lest  he  come  not  back, 
But  much  more  for  Munin.1* 

Yet  they  never  failed  to  come  back,  both  of  them,  at 
the  dim  hour  in  which  they  recounted  to  the  Father 
of  Hosts  the  history  of  the  day  that  was  past,  and  the 
hope  of  the  day  that  was  to  come.  On  this  evening, 
Munin's  song  was  so  terrible  that  only  the  strength 
of  a  god  could  possibly  have  endured  to  its  end. 
Hugin  struck  another  note,  profounder  and  sweet 
Then  said  Odin,  when  cadence  after  cadence  had 
filled  his  ears,  and  he  had  descended  from  Air 
Throne,  "Night  is  the  time  for  new  counsels;  let 
each  one  reflect  until  the  morrow  who  is  able  to  give 
advice  helpful  to  the  .-Esir." 


THE  &SIR. 


But  when  the  jewelled  horse  ran  up  along  the  sky, 
from  whence  his  mane  shed  light  over  the  whole 
world,  when  giants  and  giantesses,  and  ghosts  and 
dwarfs  crouched  beneath  Yggdrasil's  outer  Root,  when 
Heimdall  ran  up  Bifrost  and  blew  mightily  his  horn  in 
Heaven's  height,  there  was  only  one  found  who  gave 
counsel  to  Odin,  and  that  was  Odin  himself.  "  Od- 
haerir,"  he  said,  "  which  is  a  god-gift,  must  come  up  to 
men's  earthly  dwellings.  Go  forth,  Hugin,  go  forth, 
Munin,"  said  the  Asa,  and  he  also  went  forth  alone, 
none  knowing  where  he  went,  nor  how. 

So  Odin  journeyed  for  a  long,  long  while  towards 
Suttung's  Hall,  across  the  windy,  wintry  ways  of  Jotun- 
heim,  seeing  well  before  him  the  yellow  mead  as  he 
went,  through  rocks,  and  woods,  and  rivers,  and 
through  night  itself,  until  at  last  it  happened  that 
Odin  came  into  a  meadow  upon  a  summer  morning 
in  Giant  Land.  Nine  slaves  were  mowing  in  the 
meadow,  whetting  some  old  rusty  scythes  which  they 
had,  working  heavily,  for  they  were  senseless  fellows, 
and  the  summer  day  grew  faster  upon  them  than  their 
labour  grew  to  completion.  "You  seem  heavy- 
hearted,"  said  Odin  to  the  thralls;  and  they  began  to 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


explain  to  him  how  rusty  and  old  their  scythes  were, 
and  that  they  had  no  whetstone  to  sharpen  them  with. 
Upon  this  Odin  offered  to  whet  their  scythes  for  them 
with  his  whetstone  :  and  no  sooner  had  he  done  so  than 
the  scythes  became  so  sharp  that  they  could  have  cut 
stones  as  easily  as  grass.  Instead  of  mowing,  how- 
ever, the  thralls  began  to  clamour  round  Odin,  beseech- 
ing him  to  give  his  whetstone  to  them.  "  Give  it  to 
me  1  give  it  to  me :  give  it  to  me  1 "  cried  one  and 
another ;  and  all  the  time  Odin  stood  quietly  amongst 
them,  throwing  his  whetstone  up  in  the  air,  and 
catching  it  as  it  fell  Then  the  thralls  tried  if  they 
Could  catch  it,  leaning  stupidly  across  one  another, 
with  their  scythes  in  their  hands.  Was  Allfather 
surprised  at  what  happened  next?  He  could 
hardly  have  been  that;  but  he  was  sorry  when, 
looking  down  as  the  whetstone  fell,  he  saw  all  the 
thralls  lying  dead  at  his  feet,  killed  by  each  other's 
sharpened  weapons.  "This  is  an  Evil  Land,"  said 
Odin,  as  he  looked  down  on  the  dead  thralls,  "  and 
I  am  a  bringer  of  evil  into  it" 

So  he  journeyed  on  till  he  came  to  the  house  of 
Suttung's  brother,  Itaugi     Odin  asked  Baugi  to  give 


THE  &S1R. 


him  a  night's  lodging,  and  Baugi,  who  knew  no  more 
than  the  thralls  had  done  who  this  traveller  was, 
consented,  and  began  to  talk  to  Odin  of  the  trouble 
he  was  in.  "  This  is  hay  harvest,"  he  said,  "  as  you 
must  have  seen,  walking  here  through  the  meadows ; 
and  I  have  a  mighty  field  to  gather  in,  but  how  to 
do  it  puzzles  me,  because  my  nine  slaves  whom  I 
sent  out  sound  and  well  this  morning,  all  fell  dead 
about  the  middle  of  the  day.  How  they  managed 
it,  I  can't  imagine,  and  it  puts  me  out  sadly,  for 
summer  days  don't  last  long  in  Jotunheim." 
"  Well,"  said  Odin,  "  I'm  not  a  bad  hand  at  mowing, 
and  I  don't  mind  undertaking  to  do  the  work  of  nine 
thralls  for  you,  Baugi,  for  a  certain  reward  you  may 
give  me,  if  you  will"  "What  is  that?"  inquired 
Baugi,  eagerly.  "A  draught  of  that  golden  mead, 
Odhaerir,  which  Suttung  obtained  from  the  dwarfs,  and 
which  his  daughter  Gunnlod  keeps  for  him."  "  Oh  ! 
that,"  said  Baugi,  "  isn't  so  good  as  my  homebrewed 
for  a  thirsty  mower ;  but  you  shall  have  it.  It  is  a 
bargain  between  us."  So  Odin  worked  for  Baugi  the 
whole  summer  through  with  the  labour  of  nine  instead 
of  with  the  labour  of  one ;  and  when  the  last  field  wai 


94  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

reaped,  and  wintry  mists  were  gathering,  the  god  and 
the  giant  began  to  talk  over  their  bargain  again. 
"We  will  come  together  to  Suttung's  house,"  said 
Baugi,  "  and  my  brother  shall  give  you  the  draught 
which  you  desire  so  much."  But  when  the  two  came 
to  Suttung's  house,  and  asked  him  for  the  mead, 
Suttung  was  exceedingly  angry,  and  would  not  hear  a 
word  about  it  from  either  of  them.  "  You  don't 
drink  it  yourself,  brother,"  pleaded  Baugi,  "  although 
you  might  do  so  every  day  if  you  liked,  without  ask- 
ing anybody's  leave,  or  doing  one  stroke  of  work  for  it, 
whilst  this  man  has  toiled  night  and  day  for  nine 
months  that  he  might  taste  it  only  once."  "  Odhaerir 
is  for  us  giants,  nevertheless,"  answered  Suttung,  "  and 
well  does  my  daughter  Gunnlod  guard  it  from  dwarfs 
and  from  men,  from  spectres,  from  Asyniur,  and  from 
^Esir.  Have  I  not  sworn  that  so  it  shall  be  guarded 
by  all  the  snows  of  Jotunheim,  and  by  the  stormy 
waves,  and  by  the  yawning  chasm  of  the  abyss." 
Then  Baugi  knew  that  nothing  more  was  to  be  said, 
and  he  advised  Odin  to  go  back  with  him  at  once, 
and  drink  beer.  But  Odin  was  not  to  be  turned 
from  hit  purpose  so  easily.  "You  promised  me  A 


THE  JSSIR.  95 


draught  of  the  gold  mead,  Baugi,"  he  said,  "  and  I 
can  see  it  through  the  rock  in  its  three  treasure  jars ; 
sit  down  by  me  and  look  through  the  rock  till 
you  can  see  it  too."  So  Odin  and  Baugi  sat  down 
together,  and  pierced  the  rock  with  their  glances  all 
that  day  until  they  had  made  a  small  hole  in  it;  and  at 
night,  when  Suttung  was  asleep,  and  when  Gunnlod 
was  asleep,  and  whilst  the  gold  mead  shone  steadily 
in  the  heart  of  the  cave,  Odin  looked  up  towards 
Asgard,  and  said, — 

"  Little  get  I  here  by  silence: 
Of  a  well-assumed  form  I  will  make  good  use  j 
For  few  things  fail  the  wise." 

And  then  this  strong  wise  Asa  picked  up  from  the 
ground  the  little,  mean,  wriggling  form  of  a  worm 
and  put  it  on  and  crept  noiselessly  into  the  hole 
which  he  and  Baugi  had  made, — 

"  The  giant's  ways  are  under  me, 
The  giant's  ways  are  over  me," 

said  Odin  as  he  wriggled  through  the  stone,  but 
when  he  had  got  quite  through  to  the  inner  side, 
to  Gunnlod's  room,  Odin  took  his  proper  form  again. 


96  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

"I  see  her  upon  her  golden  seat,"  he  said  as  he 
looked  upon  the  sleeping  Gunnlod  where  she  lay, 
and  Odin  was  surprised  to  see  a  giant-maid  so 
beautiful.  Surprised  and  sorry.  "For  I  must 
leave  her  weeping,"  he  mused.  "How  shall  she 
not  weep,  defrauded  of  her  treasure  in  an  Evil 
Land."  And  Odin  loved  and  pitied  the  beautiful 
maiden  so  much,  that  he  would  have  re- 
turned to  Asgard  without  the  mead  had  that 
been  possible.  Alas  for  Gunnlod,  it  was  less 
possible  than  ever  since  Allfather  had  seen  her. 
For  Gunnlod  awoke  in  the  light  of  Odin's  glance 
and  trembled,  she  did  not  know  why,  she  did  not 
know  at  first  that  he  was  an  Asa,  but,  when  he 
asked  her  for  her  treasure  she  could  not  keep  it 
from  him,  she  could  not  have  kept  anything  from 
him.  She  rose  from  her  golden  couch,  her  blue 
•yes  melted  into  the  tenderness  of  a  summer  sky, 
die  undid  the  bars  and  bolts  and  coverings  of 
Odhaerir,  which  she  had  guarded  so  faithfully  till 
then,  and  knelt  before  Odin  and  stretched  her 
hands  towards  him  and  said,  "Drink,  for  I  think 
you  arc  a  god." 


THE 


A  draught,  a  draught,  a  long,  deep  draught,  and 
the  spirit  of  the  Asa  was  shaken  through  its  height 
and  through  its  depth,  and  again  a  draught  of 
love  flowing  forth  to  the  outermost,  to  the  abysses, 
and  one  draught  again — peace — in  rushing,  still. 

Why  are  you  weeping  so,  Gunnlod  ?  Oh !  Why 
do  you  weep?  Did  you  not  give  him  your  whole 
treasure,  "your  fervent  love,  your  whole  soul;"  you 
kept  nothing  back,  and  Odhaerir  is  for  ever  the 
inheritance  of  the  gods.  The  dwarfs  sold  it  for  their 
lives,  the  giantess  lost  it  of  her  love,  gods  win  it 
for  the  world. 

"It  is  for  the  ^Esir,  it  is  for  men,"  said  Odin. 
"It  is  Odin's  booty,  it  is  Odin's  gift;"  and  imme- 
diately, in  haste  to  share  it,  the  Asa  spread  eagle's 
wings,  and  flew  far  up,  away  from  the  barren  rock, 
and  the  black,  cold  halls  of  Suttung,  towards  his 
heavenly  home.  Alas  for  Gunnlod  !  she  has  lost  her 
treasure  and  her  Asa  too.  How  cold  the  cavern  is 
now  in  which  she  sits  !  her  light  is  gone  out ;  she  is 
left  alone;  she  is  left  weeping  upon  her  golden  throne. 
But  Odin  soared  upwards — flew  on  toward  Asgard, 
and  the  ^Esir  came  crowding  upon  the  city's  jewelled 


98  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

walls  to  watch  his  approach.  And  soon  they  per- 
ceived that  two  eagles  were  flying  towards  the  city, 
the  second  pursuing  the  first.  The  pursuing  eagle 
was  Suttung,  who,  as  soon  as  he  found  that  his  mead 
was  gone,  and  that  Odin  eagle-wise  had  escaped  his 
vengeance,  spread  also  his  eagle's  wings,  very  strong 
and  very  swift,  in  pursuit  Suttung  appeared  to  gain 
upon  Odin.  Frigga  feared  for  her  beloved  The 
Asyniur  and  the  JEsiT  watched  breathlessly.  Frost 
giants  and  Storm  giants  came  crowding  up  from  the 
deeps  to  see.  "Does  Odin  return  amongst  the  gods?" 
they  asked,  "  or  will  Suttung  destroy  him  ? "  It  was 
not  possible,  however,  that  the  struggle  should  end  in 
any  way  but  one.  The  Divine  bird  dropped  from  the 
height  upon  his  Hall— the  High  One's  Hall — and 
then  there  burst  from  him  such  a  flood  of  song  that 
the  widest  limits  of  JEsir  Land  were  overflowed — 
some  sounds  even  spilt  themselves  upon  the  common 
earth.  "  It  is  Poetry  herself,  it  is  Odin's  booty,  it  is 
Odin's  gift.  It  is  for  the  jfcsir,  it  is  for  the  ^Esir," 
said  a  thousand  and  a  thousand  songs.  "And  for 
men,**  answered  Allfather,  with  his  million  ringing, 
changing  voices;  *'  it  i»  for  men."  "  Such  as  have 


THE  JZSIR.  gg 


sufficient  wit  to  make  a  right  use  of  it,"  said  Loki. 
And  this  was  the  first  discordant  note  that  troubled 
Asgard  after  Odin's  return. 


In  this  tale,  or  rather  in  this  arrangement  of  tales, 
most  of  the  chief  gods  are  named,  and  one  or  two 
of  the  myths  concerning  them  are  hinted  at.  The 
sweet  mixture  made  out  of  Kvasir's  blood,  and 
given  to  the  giant  Suttung  to  keep,  was  called, 
as  we  have  seen,  Odhserir.  It  was  kept  in  three 
jars,  and  though  the  name  of  it  as  a  whole  was 
Odhserir,  the  portion  in  the  second  jar  was  also 
called  "Sohn,"  and  that  in  the  third  jar  "Bohn." 
Odhserir  is  mentioned  in  two  of  the  Elder  Edda 
Songs,  and  in  the  Younger  Edda  an  account  is 
given  of  Odin  bringing  it  up  to  Asgard.  Neither 
of  the  Eddas,  it  must  be  remarked,  mentions  the 
banishment  of  the  dwarfs  and  elves  in  connection 
with  Kvasir's  death.  The  golden  mead,  Odhserir, 
is  supposed  to  signify  poetry.  The  first  syllable 
of  the  name  means  mind  and  feeling.  Odhaerir, 
spirit  mover.  "Sohn"  means  reconciliation,  or 


;oo  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

the  offer  of  peace.  "Bohn"  means  the  acceptance 
of  peace, — these  two  latter  names  referring  to 
the  origin  of  Kvasir,  who  was  created  out  of  the 
peace  made  between  the  ^Esir  and  the  Vanir. 

Simrock  thinks  that  "Kvasir,"  meaning  fermen- 
tation, implies  the  excitement  necessary  to  poetry; 
that  Odin,  labouring  for  a  draught  of  the  precious 
mead,  suggests  that  poetry  can  only  be  possessed 
through  labour,  and  that  his  receiving  it  from 
the  beautiful  Gunnlod,  expresses  it  as  the  gift  and 
crown  of  love*  Odin  drinking  it  three  times  signifies 
the  intensity  through  which  poetry  lives, — it  is  intoxi- 
cation. Odin  appears  to  have  felt  very  wise  after 
his  three  draughts ;  for  he  is  made  to  say — 

'•  Potent  songs  I  learned, 
And  a  draught  obtained 
Of  the  precious  mead, 
Then  I  began  to  bear  fruit 
And  to  know  many  things. 

Word  by  word 

I  sought  out  words, 

Fact  by  fact 

I  sought  out  facts, 
Runes  I  graved, 
Very  large  characters, 
Very  potent  characters,* 


THE  &SIR.  I0i 


One  of  the  Edda  songs  is  called  the  "High 
One's  Lay."  So  we  may  conclude  it  was  inspired 
by  Suttung's  mead.  One  or  two  of  the  strophes 
are  worth  quoting,  just  to  show  what  the  lay 
is  like.  The  following  are  selected  from  different 
places  and  have  no  connection  with  one  another. 

*'  At  eve  the  day  is  to  be  praised, 
A  sword  after  it  is  proved  ; 
Ice  after  it  has  passed  away, 
Beer  after  it  is  drunk," 

"Cattle  die, 
Kindred  die, 
We  ourselves  also  die  } 
But  I  know  one  thing 
That  never  dies — 
Judgment  on  each  one  dead." 

44 1  was  once  young, 
I  was  journeying  alone, 
And  lost  my  way  ; 
Rich  I  thought  myself 
When  I  met  another. 
Man  is  the  joy  of  man." 

Here  is  a  contrast — 

"Two  are  adversaries; 
The  tongue  is  the  bane  of  the  head  I 


102        THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

Under  every  cloak 
I  expect  a  hand." 

MA  firmer  friend 
No  man  ever  gets 
Than  great  sagacity." 

"  Givers  and  requiters 
Are  longest  friends.* 

*  A  worse  provision 
No  man  can  carry 
Than  too  much  beer-bibbing  • 
So,  good  is  not,  as  it  is  said. 
Beer  for  the  sons  of 


M  My  garments  in  a  field 
I  gave  away 
To  two  wooden  men  ; 
Heroes  they  seemed  to  bt 
When  they  got  cloaks." 

••  Much  too  early 
I  came  to  many  places 
But  too  late  to  others  | 
The  beer  was  drunk, 
Or  not  ready 
The  disliked  seldom  hits  the  moment" 

We  often  read  of  Odin  disguising  himself,  some- 
times in  animal,  more  frequently  in  human  form.     He 


THE  &SIR. 


wanders  about  the  world,  and  very  curious  stories 
are  told  about  his  adventures.  Sometimes  he  asks 
his  wife's  leave  before  setting  off, — 

"  Counsel  thou  me  now,  Frigg  | 
As  I  long  to  go 
An  all- wise  giant  to  visit," 

And  Frigg  answers, — 

"  In  safety  mayest  thou  go, 
In  safety  return ; 
In  safety  on  thy  journeyings  be ; 
May  thy  wit  avail  thee 
When  thou,  father  of  men  !  shalt 
Hold  converse  with  the  giant." 

But  Odin  was  not  obliged  to  take  long  journeys 
hinuelf  when  he  wanted  to  know  what  was  going  on 
in  the  world, — he  had,  as  we  have  seen,  two 
messengers  whom  he  sent  out  daily, — the  Ravens 
Hugin  and  Munin,  thought  and  memory, — 

"  Hugin  and  Munin 
Each  dawn  take  their  flight 
Earth  fields  over  j 
I  fear  me  for  Hugin 


104  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

Lest  he  come  not  back, 
But  much  more  for  Munin.  " 

Perhaps  because  of  Munin  being  memory  he  was 
expected  to  fail  first 

Odin  looking  over  into  Niflheim,  is  thus  alluded  to 
in  an  old  song.  The  god  is  made  to  say, — 

•'  I  know  that  I  hung 
On  a  wind-rocked  tree 
Nine  whole  nights. 
Downward  I  peered, 
To  runes  applied  myself 
Wailing  learnt  them, 
Then  fell  down  thence." 

The  next  strophe  tells  how  he  got  the  draught  of 
the  precious  mead.  In  this  myth,  it  seems  as  if  Odin 
hung  upon  Yggdrassil.  Simrock  mentions  a  singular 
little  German  tale  which  may  possibly  have  some 
connection  with  it,  and  has  evidently  an  Eastern 
origin.  "  A  man/'  it  says,  "  in  danger  of  falling  into  a 
brook,  held  fast  with  one  hand  to  a  shrub  whilst  his 
feet  rested  on  a  small  piece  of  grass.  In  this 
predicament,  he  saw  two  mice  (day  and  night) 
gnawing  at  the  root  of  the  shrub,  and  the  grass 


THE  &SIR.  ,05 


undermined  by  four  worm  heads.  Then  a  dragon 
appeared  and  opened  his  mouth  to  swallow  him  up, 
whilst  an  elephant  reached  his  trunk  towards  him. 
At  the  same  time  he  seized  with  eager  mouth  some 
honey  which  dropt  from  the  tree."  Simrock  says 
that  the  eating  of  the  honey  is  like  people  being 
occupied  with  frivolity  whilst  the  world-battle  goes 
on,  but  may  not  the  story  possibly  have  a  little  to  do 
with  Odin  and  Yggdrassil  and  Odhserir. 

We  heard  before  that  Odin  was  connected  with 
Air.  We  see  him  here  on  his  High  Throne  looking 
over  all  worlds,  wandering  over  the  earth,  piercing 
even  to  the  deep,  giving  his  eye  to  Mimer  for 
wisdom — consequently  having  only  one  eye,  one  Sun 
in  Heaven — some  suppose  that  the  pledged  eye 
means  the  setting  of  the  Sun  nightly.  Mimer,  who 
guards  the  well,  means  the  remembrance  of  the  origin 
of  things  which  was  water — the  strange  waves  that 
flowed  into  Ginnungagap.  An  odd  story  is  told  of 
Mimer,  who  was  originally  a  giant  though  received 
by  the  JEsir,  viz.,  that  he  was  sent  as  a  hostage  to 
the  Vanir,  who  cut  off  his  head  and  sent  it  back  to 
Odin.  The  head  remained  so  wise  that  the  father  of 


106  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

the  gods  used  to  consult  it  on  all  important  occasions; 
as  the  lay  says — 

"Odin  speaks 
With  Mim's  head." 

Heimdall,  guardian  of  the  Bridge  (whose  exact 
name  was  "trembling  rest")  was  perhaps  the  most 
important  of  the  Vanir.  He  is  represented  in  one 
old  lay  as  travelling  about  the  world  by  himself, 
which  is  a  sure  sign  that  he  was  originally  a  very 
great  god  indeed.  Upon  this  journey  he  became  the 
father  of  the  three  races  of  men,  the  Thralls,  the 
Karls  and  the  Jarls.  The  way  in  which  these  three 
races  are  compared  with  one  another  is  very  curious. 

The  Thralls  are  described  with  "shrivelled  skin, 
knotty  knuckles,  thick  fingers,  hideous  faces,  curved 
backs  and  protruding  heels,  they  are  made  to  erect 
fences,  manure  fields,  tend  swine,  keep  goats  and  dig 
turf."  The  Karls'  children  are  said  to  be  clothed  in 
linen,  to  be  ruddy  headed  and  have  twinkling  eyes, 
and  they  grow  up  to  "tame  oxen,  make  ploughs, 
build  houses,  make  carts  and  farm ;"  but  the  favoured, 
useless  Jarls,  "Light  of  hair,  bright  cheeks,  eyes 


THE  jESIR. 


piercing  as  a  serpent's,"  grow  up  to  "shake  the  shield, 
to  brandish  spears, 

••  Horses  to  ridefc 
Dogs  to  slip, 
Swords  to  draw, 
Swimming  to  practise.* 

Heimdall  keeps  the  bridge  alike  from  thunder  god 
and  frost  giants,  but  at  Ragnarok,  the  swarthy  god 
Surtur,  who  lives  on  the  borders  of  Muspellheim, 
will  ride  over  it  and  shatter  it  to  pieces.  Heimdall's 
horn  is  mentioned, — this  is  supposed  to  mean  the 
crescent  moon,  and  Mimer's  drinking  horn  also 
means  the  moon.  Later,  when  the  stories  of  the 
gods  had  dwindled  down  into  weird,  unholy  legends, 
and  Odin  had  sunk  into  the  wild  Huntsman,  the 
crescent  moon  was  his  horn.  One  of  Heimdall's 
names  was  Irmin,  and  this  means  "  Shining."  The 
milky  way  is  called  Irmin  strasse  or  Irmin's  way, 
and  the  wild  hunt  was  supposed  to  go  over  the  milky 
way,  which  is  also  called  Waldemar's  way  in 
Denmark,  and  Waldemar  is  a  common  name  of 
hunters. 

Loki  and  his  children  in  these  myths  are  evidently 


108  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

the  destructive  principle,  either  physically,  or  morally, 
or  both.  Jormungand  and  Fenrir  are  much  alike. 
Jormungand  means  "the  universal  Wolf,"  and  of 
Fenrir  it  is  said  "he  goes  about  revengeful,  with 
open  jaws  devouring  all  things."  Hela  had  originally 
another  side  to  her  character,  but  here  as  Loki's 
daughter  she  has  only  the  nature  of  his  other  children. 

The  myth  about  Loki  finding  the  half-burnt  heart 
of  a  woman  is  said  to  be  a  very  young  one ;  and  so 
perhaps  it  is  not  worth  considering  the  meaning  of. 

The  god  about  whom,  next  to  Odin,  most  stories 
are  told,  is  Thor.  In  some  parts  of  the  north  he  was 
a  more  prominent  object  of  worship  even  than  Odin, 
Norway  and  Iceland  being  especially  devoted  to  his 
service. 

Let  us  now  hear  how  Thor  went  to  Jotunheim. 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.        Io<, 


CHAPTER  IL 
HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM. 


PART  L 

FROM  ASGARD  TO  UTGARD. 

ONCE  on  a  time,  Asa  Thor  and  Loki  set  out 
on  a  journey  from  Asgard  to  Jotunheim.  They 
travelled  in  Thor's  chariot,  drawn  by  two  milk- 
white  goats.  It  was  a  somewhat  cumbrous  iron 
chariot,  and  the  wheels  made  a  rumbling  noise  as 
it  moved,  which  sometimes  startled  the  ladies  of 
Asgard,  and  made  them  tremble;  but  Thor  liked 
it,  thought  the  noise  sweeter  than  any  music,  and 
was  never  so  happy  as  when  he  was  journeying  in 
it  from  one  place  to  another. 


HO  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

They  travelled  all  day,  and  in  the  evening  they 
came  to  a  countryman's  house.  It  was  a  poor, 
lonely  place;  but  Thor  descended  from  his  chariot, 
and  determined  to  pass  the  night  there.  The 
countryman,  however,  had  no  food  in  his  house  to 
give  these  travellers;  and  Thor,  who  liked  to  feast 
himself  and  make  every  one  feast  with  him,  was 
obliged  to  kill  his  own  two  goats  and  serve  them 
up  for  supper.  He  invited  the  countryman  and 
his  wife  and  children  to  sup  with  him;  but  before 
they  began  to  eat  he  made  one  request  of  them. 

"Do  not,  on  any  account,"  he  said,  "break  or 
throw  away  any  of  the  bones  of  the  goats  you  are 
going  to  eat  for  supper." 

"  I  wonder  why,"  said  the  peasant's  son,  Thialfi, 
to  his  sister  Roska.  Roska  could  not  think  of 
any  reason,  and  by-an4-bye  Thialfi  happened  to 
have  a  very  nice  little  bone  given  him  with  some 
marrow  in  it  "Certainly  there  can  be  no  harm 
in  my  breaking  just  this  one,"  he  said  to  himself; 
"it  would  be  such  a  pity  to  lose  the  marrow;1* 
and  r.s  Asa  Thor's  head  was  turned  another  way, 
he  slyly  broke  the  bone  in  two,  sucked  the  marrow, 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHE1M.        XI1 

and  then  threw  the  pieces  into  the  goats'  skins, 
where  Thor  had  desired  that  all  the  bones  might 
be  placed.  I  do  not  know  whether  Thialfi  was 
uneasy  during  the  night  about  what  he  had  done; 
but  in  the  morning  he  found  out  the  reason  of  Asa 
Thor's  command,  and  received  a  lesson  on  "  wonder- 
ing why,"  which  he  never  forgot  all  his  life  after. 

As  soon  as  Asa  Thor  rose  in  the  morning  he 
took  his  hammer,  Miolnir,  in  his  hand,  and  held  it 
over  the  goat-skins  as  they  lay  on  the  floor,  whisper- 
ing runes  the  while.  They  were  dead  skins  with 
dry  bones  on  them  when  he  began  to  speak ;  but  as 
he  said  the  last  word,  Thialfi,  who  was  looking 
curiously  on,  saw  two  live  goats  spring  up  and  walk 
towards  the  chariot,  as  fresh  and  well  as  when  they 
brought  the  chariot  up  to  the  door  Thialfi  hoped. 
But  no;  one  of  the  goats  limped  a  little  with  his 
hind  leg,  and  Asa  Thor  saw  it.  His  brow  grew 
dark  as  he  looked,  and  for  a  minute  Thialfi  thought 
he  would  run  far,  far  into  the  forest,  and  never 
come  back  again ;  but  one  look  more  at  Asa  Thor's 
face,  angry  as  it  was,  made  him  change  his  mind 
He  thought  of  a  better  thing  to  do  than  running 


1 1 2  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

away.  He  came  forward,  threw  himself  at  the 
Asa's  feet,  and,  confessing  what  he  had  done,  begged 
pardon  for  his  disobedience.  Thor  listened,  and 
the  displeased  look  passed  away  from  his  face. 

"You  have  done  wrong,  Thialfi,"  he  said,  raising 
him  up ;  "  but  as  you  have  confessed  your  fault  so 
bravely,  instead  of  punishing  you,  I  will  take  you 
with  me  on  my  journey,  and  teach  you  myself  the 
lesson  of  obedience  to  the  JEsir  which  is,  I  see, 
wanted." 

Roska  chose  to  go  with  her  brother,  and  from 
that  day  Thor  had  two  faithful  servants,  who  fol- 
lowed him  wherever  he  went. 

The  chariot  and  goats  were  now  left  behind :  but, 
with  Loki  and  his  two  new  followers,  Thor  jour- 
neyed on  to  the  end  of  Manheim,  over  the  sea,  and 
then  on,  on,  on  in  the  strange,  barren,  misty  land  of 
Jotunheim,  Sometimes  they  crossed  great  moun- 
tains ;  sometimes  they  had  to  make  their  way  among 
torn  and  rugged  rocks,  which  often,  through  the 
mist,  appeared  to  them  to  wear  the  forms  of  men, 
and  once  for  a  whole  day  they  traversed  a  thick  and 
tangled  forest  In  the  evening  of  that  day,  being 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUN1IEIM.        JI3 

very  much  tired,  they  saw  with  pleasure  that  they 
had  come  upon  a  spacious  hall,  of  which  the  door,  as 
broad  as  the  house  itself,  stood  wide  open. 

"  Here  we  may  very  comfortably  lodge  for  the 
night,"  said  Thor;  and  they  went  in  and  looked 
about  them. 

The  house  appeared  to  be  perfectly  empty ;  there 
was  a  wide  hall,  and  five  smaller  rooms  opening  into 
it.  They  were,  however,  too  tired  to  examine  it  care- 
fully, and  as  no  inhabitants  made  their  appearance, 
they  ate  their  supper  in  the  hall,  and  lay  down  to 
sleep.  But  they  had  not  rested  long  before  they 
were  disturbed  by  strange  noises,  groanings,  mut- 
terings,  and  snortings,  louder  than  any  animal  that 
they  had  ever  seen  in  their  lives  could  make.  By- 
and-bye  the  house  began  to  shake  from  side  to  side, 
and  it  seemed  as  if  the  very  earth  trembled.  Thor 
sprang  up  in  haste,  and  ran  to  the  open  door ;  but, 
though  he  looked  earnestly  into  the  starlit  forest, 
there  was  no  enemy  to  be  seen  anywhere.  Loki 
and  Thialfi,  after  groping  about  for  a  time,  found 
a  sheltered  chamber  to  the  right,  where  they 
thought  they  could  finish  their  night's  rest  in  safety ; 


114  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

but  Thor,  with  Miolnir  in  his  hand,  watched  at 
the  door  of  the  house  all  night  As  soon  as  the  day 
dawned  he  went  out  into  the  forest,  and  there, 
stretched  on  the  ground  close  by  the  house,  he  saw 
a  strange,  uncouth,  gigantic  shape  of  a  man,  out  of 
whose  nostrils  came  a  breath  which  swayed  the  trees 
to  their  very  tops.  There  was  no  need  to  wonder 
any  longer  what  the  disturbing  noises  had  been. 
Thor  fearlessly  walked  up  to  this  strange  monster 
to  have  a  better  look  at  him ;  but  at  the  sound  of 
his  footsteps  the  giant-shape  rose  slowly,  stood  up 
an  immense  height,  and  looked  down  upon  Thor  with 
two  great  misty  eyes,  like  blue  mountain-lakes. 

"Who  are  you?"  said  Thor,  standing  on  tiptoe, 
and  stretching  his  neck  to  look  up ;  "  and  why  do 
you  make  such  a  noise  as  to  prevent  your  neighbours 
from  sleeping?" 

"My  name  is  Skrymir,"  said  the  giant  sternly; 
"I  need  not  ask  yours.  You  are  the  little  Asa 
Thor  of  Asgard ;  but  pray,  now,  what  have  you 
done  with  my  glove  ?  " 

As  he  spoke  he  stooped  down,  and  picked  up 
the  hall  where  Thor  and  his  companions  had 


GIANT  SKRYMIR  AND  THOR. 


Page  ii?. 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.        nS 

passed  the  night,  and  which,  in  truth,  was  nothing 
more  than  his  glove,  the  room  where  Loki  and 
Thialfi  had  slept  being  the  thumb. 

Thor  rubbed  his  eyes,  and  felt  as  if  he  must 
be  dreaming.  Rousing  himself,  however,  he  raised 
Miolnir  in  his  hand,  and,  trying  to  keep  his  eyes 
fixed  on  the  giant's  face,  which  seemed  to  be 
always  changing,  he  said,  "It  is  time  that  you 
should  know,  Skrymir,  that  I  am  come  to  Jotun- 
heim  to  fight  and  conquer  such  evil  giants  as 
you  are,  and,  little  as  you  think  me,  I  am  ready 
to  try  my  strength  against  yours." 

"  Try  it,  then,"  said  the  giant 

And  Thor,  without  another  word,  threw  Miolnir 
at  his  head. 

"Ah  !  Ah  1"  said  the  giant;  "  did  a  leaf  touch  me?" 

Again  Thor  seized  Miolnir,  which  always  returned 
to  his  hand,  however  far  he  cast  it  from  him,  and 
threw  it  with  all  his  force. 

The  giant  put  up  his  hand  to  his  forehead.  "I 
think,"  he  said,  "  that  an  acorn  must  have  fallen  on 
my  head." 

A   third  time  Thor  struck  a  blow,   the  heaviest 


Il6  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

that  ever  fell  from  the  hand  of  an  Asa;    but  this 
time  the  giant  laughed  out  loud. 

"There  is  surely  a  bird  on  that  tree,"  he  said, 
"  who  has  let  a  feather  fall  on  my  face." 

Then,  without  taking  any  further  notice  of  Thor, 
he  swung  an  immense  wallet  over  his  shoulder,  and, 
turning  his  back  upon  him,  struck  into  a  path  that 
led  from  the  forest.  When  he  had  gone  a  little 
way  he  looked  round,  his  immense  face  appearing 
less  like  a  human  countenance  than  some  strange, 
uncouthly-shaped  stone  toppling  on  a  mountain 
precipice. 

"  Ving-Thor,"  *  he  said,  "  let  me  give  you  a  piece 
of  good  advice  before  I  go.  When  you  get  to 
Utgard  don't  make  much  of  yourself.  You  think 
me  a  tall  man,  but  you  have  taller  still  to  see ;  and 
you  yourself  are  a  very  little  mannikin.  Turn  back 
home  whence  you  came,  and  be  satisfied  to  have 
learned  something  of  yourself  by  your  journey  to 
Jotunheim." 

"  Mannikin  or  not,  that  will  I  never  do,"  shouted 
Asa  Thor  after  the  giant      "We  will  meet  again, 
*  Ving-Thor— Winged-Thor. 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.         II? 

and  something  more  will  we  learn,  or  teach  each 
other." 

The  giant,  however,  did  not  turn  baek  to  answer, 
and  Thor  and  his  companions,  after  looking  for 
some  time  after  him,  resumed  their  journey.  Before 
the  sun  was  quite  high  in  the  heavens  they  came 
out  of  the  forest,  and  at  noon  they  found  themselves 
on  a  vast  barren  plain,  where  stood  a  great  city, 
whose  walls  of  dark,  rough  stone  were  so  high, 
that  Thor  had  to  bend  his  head  quite  far  back  to 
see  the  top  of  them.  When  they  approached  the 
entrance  of  this  city  they  found  that  the  gates  were 
closed  and  barred;  but  the  space  between  the  bars 
was  so  large  that  Thor  passed  through  easily,  and 
his  companions  followed  him.  The  streets  of  the 
city  were  gloomy  and  still.  They  walked  on  for 
some  time  without  meeting  any  one;  but  at  length 
they  came  to  a  very  high  building,  of  which  the 
gates  stood  open. 

"Let  us  go  in  and  see  what  is  going  on  here," 
said  Thor ;  and  they  went 

After  crossing  the  threshold  they  found  themselves 
in  an  immense  banqueting  hall.  A  table  stretched 


1 1 8  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

from  one  end  to  the  other  of  it ;  stone  thrones  stood 
round  the  table,  and  on  every  throne  sat  a  giant, 
each  one,  as  Thor  glanced  round,  appearing  more 
grim,  and  cold,  and  stony  than  the  rest.  One 
among  them  sat  on  a  raised  seat,  and  appeared  to 
be  the  chief;  so  to  him  Thor  approached  and  paid 
his  greetings. 

The  giant  chief  just  glanced  at  him,  and,  without 
rising,  said,  in  a  somewhat  careless  manner,  "It 
is,  I  think,  a  foolish  custom  to  tease  tired  travellers 
with  questions  about  their  journey.  I  know  with- 
out asking  that  you,  little  fellow,  are  Asa  Thor. 
Perhaps,  however,  you  may  be  in  reality  taller  than 
you  appear;  and  as  it  is  a  rule  here  that  no  one 
shall  sit  down  to  table  till  he  has  performed 
some  wonderful  feat,  let  us  hear  what  you  and  your 
followers  are  famed  for,  and  in  what  way  you  choose 
to  prove  yourselves  worthy  to  sit  down  in  the  com- 
pany of  giants." 

At  this  speech,  Loki,  who  had  entered  the 
hall  cautiously  behind  Thor,  pushed  himself  for- 
ward. 

aThe  feat  for  which  I  am  most  famed,"  he  said 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.        j  19 

"is  eating,  and  it  is  one  which  I  am  just  now 
inclined  to  perform  with  right  good  will.  Put  food 
before  me,  and  let  me  see  if  any  of  your  followers 
can  despatch  it  as  quickly  as  I  can." 

"The  feat  you  speak  of  is  one  by  no  means 
to  be  despised,"  said  the  King,  "and  there  is  one 
here  who  would  be  glad  to  try  his  powers  against 
yours.  Let  Logi,"  he  said  to  one  of  his  followers, 
"  be  summoned  to  the  hall." 

At  this,  a  tall,  thin,  yellow-faced  man  approached, 
and  a  large  trough  of  meat  having  been  placed 
in  the  middle  of  the  hall,  Loki  sat  to  work  at 
one  end,  and  Logi  at  the  other,  and  they  began  to 
eat  I  hope  7  shall  never  see  any  one  eat  as  they 
ate;  but  the  giants  all  turned  their  slow-moving 
eyes  to  watch  them,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they 
met  in  the  middle  of  the  trough.  It  seemed,  at 
first,  as  if  they  had  both  eaten  exactly  the  same 
quantity;  but,  when  the  thing  came  to  be  examined 
into,  it  was  found  that  Loki  had,  indeed,  eaten 
up  all  the  meat,  but  that  Logi  had  also  eaten  the 
bones  and  the  trough.  Then  the  giants  nodded 
their  huge  heads,  and  determined  that  Loki  wai 


120  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

conquered.  The  King  now  turned  to  Thialfi,  and 
asked  what  he  could  do. 

"I  was  thought  swift  of  foot  among  the  youth 
of  my  own  country,"  answered  Thialfi ;  "  and  I  will, 
if  you  please,  try  to  run  a  race  with  any  one  here." 

"You  have  chosen  a  noble  sport,  indeed,"  said 
the  King ;  "  but  you  must  be  a  good  runner  if  you 
could  beat  him  with  whom  I  shall  match  you." 

Then  he  called  a  slender  lad,  Hugi  by  name,  and 
the  whole  company  left  the  hall,  and,  going  out  by 
an  opposite  gate  to  that  by  which  Thor  had  entered, 
they  came  out  to  an  open  space,  which  made  a 
noble  race-ground.  There  the  goal  was  fixed,  and 
Thialfi  and  Hugi  started  off  together. 

Thialfi  ran  fast — fast  as  the  reindeer  which  hears 
the  wolves  howling  behind;  but  Hugi  ran  so  much 
faster  that,  passing  the  goal,  he  turned  round,  and 
met  Thialfi  half-way  in  the  course. 

"Try  again,  Thialfi,"  cried  the  King;  and  Thi- 
alfi, once  more  taking  his  place,  flew  along  the 
course  with  feet  scarcely  touching  the  ground — 
swiftly  as  an  eagle  when,  from  his  mountain-crag, 
he  swoops  on  his  prey  in  the  valley;  but  with  all 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.        121 

his  running  he  was  still  a  good  bow-shot  from  the 
goal  when  Hugi  reached  it. 

"You  are  certainly  a  good  runner,"  said  the 
King;  "but  if  you  mean  to  win  you  must  do  a 
little  better  still  than  this;  but  perhaps  you  wish 
to  surprise  us  all  the  more  this  third  time." 

The  third  time,  however,  Thialfi  was  wearied,  and 
though  he  did  his  best,  Hugi,  having  reached  the 
goal,  turned  and  met  him  not  far  from  the  starting- 
point 

The  giants  again  looked  at  each  other,  and 
declared  that  there  was  no  need  of  further  trial,  for 
that  Thialfi  was  conquered. 

It  was  now  Asa  Thor*s  turn,  and  all  the  company 
looked  eagerly  at  him,  while  the  Utgard  King  asked 
by  what  wonderful  feat  he  chose  to  distinguish 
himsel£ 

"I  will  try  a  drinking-match  with  any  of  you," 
Thor  said,  shortly;  for,  to  tell  the  truth,  he  cared 
not  to  perform  anything  very  worthy  in  the  com- 
pany in  which  he  found  himself. 

King  Utgard  appeared  pleased  with  this  choice, 
and  when  the  giants  had  resumed  their  seats  in 


,  2  2  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


the  hall,  he  ordered  one  of  his  servants  to  bring 
in  his  drinking-cup,  called  the  "cup  of  penance," 
which  it  was  his  custom  to  make  his  guests  drain 
at  a  draught,  if  they  had  broken  any  of  the 
ancient  rules  of  the  society. 

"There!"  he  said,  handing  it  to  Thor,  "we 
call  it  well  drunk  if  a  person  empties  it  at  a  single 
draught  Some,  indeed,  take  two  to  it;  but  the 
very  puniest  can  manage  it  in  three." 

Thor  looked  into  the  cup;  it  appeared  to  him 
long,  but  not  so  very  large  after  all,  and  being 
thirsty  he  put  it  to  his  lips,  and  thought  to  make 
short  work  of  it,  and  empty  it  at  one  good,  hearty 
pull  He  drank,  and  put  the  cup  down  again; 
but,  instead  of  being  empty,  it  was  now  just  so 
full  that  it  could  be  moved  without  danger  of 
spilling. 

"  Ha  !  ha  I  You  are  keeping  all  your  strength 
for  the  second  pull  I  see,"  said  Utgard,  looking 
in.  Without  answering,  Thor  lifted  the  cup  again, 
and  drank  with  all  his  might  till  his  breath 
failed;  but,  when  he  put  down  the  cup,  the  liquor 
had  only  sunk  down  a  little  from  the  brim. 


HOW  THOK   WENT  TO  JOTUNHE2M.        1 23 

"If you  mean  to  take  three  draughts  to  it,"  said 
Utgard,  "you  are  really  leaving  yourself  a  very 
unfair  share  for  the  last  time.  Look  to  yourself, 
Ving-Thor;  for,  if  you  do  not  acquit  yourself  better 
in  other  feats,  we  shall  not  think  so  much  of  you 
here  as  they  say  the  ^Esir  do  in  Asgard." 

At  this  speech  Thor  felt  angry,  and,  seizing  the 
cup  again,  he  drank  a  third  time,  deeper  and  longer 
than  he  had  yet  done;  but,  when  he  looked  into 
the  cup,  he  saw  that  a  very  small  part  only  of  its 
contents  had  disappeared.  Wearied  and  disap- 
pointed he  put  the  cup  down,  and  said  he  would 
try  no  more  to  empty  it 

"It  is  pretty  plain,*'  said  the  King,  looking 
round  on  the  company,  "that  Asa  Thor  is  by  no 
means  the  kind  of  man  we  always  supposed  him 
to  be." 

"  Nay,"  said  Thor,  "  I  am  willing  to  try  another 
feat,  and  you  yourselves  shall  choose  what  it  shall 
be." 

"Well,"  said  the  King,  "there  is  a  game  at 
which  our  children  are  used  to  play.  A  short  time 
ago  I  dare  not  have  named  it  to  Asa  Thor;  but  now 


124 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


I  am  curious  to  see  how  he  will  acquit  himself 
in  it.  It  is  merely  to  lift  my  cat  from  the  ground 
— a  childish  amusement  truly." 

As  he  spoke  a  large,  grey  cat  sprang  into  the 
hall,  and  Thor,  stooping  forward,  put  his  hand 
under  it  to  lift  it  up.  He  tried  gently  at  first; 
but  by  degrees  he  put  forth  all  his  strength, 
tugging  and  straining  as  he  had  never  done  before ; 
but  the  utmost  he  could  do  was  to  raise  one  of 
the  cat's  paws  a  little  way  from  the  ground. 

"It  is  just  as  I  thought,"  said  King  Utgard, 
looking  round  with  a  smile;  "but  we  all  are  will- 
ing to  allow  that  the  cat  is  large,  and  Thor  but  a 
little  fellow." 

"Little  as  you  think  me,"  cried  Thor,  "who 
is  there  who  will  dare  to  wrestle  with  me  in  my 
anger  ?  * 

"In  truth,"  said  the  King,  "I  don't  think 
there  is  any  one  here  who  would  choose  to  wrestle 
with  you;  but,  if  wrestle  you  must,  I  will  call 
in  that  old  crone  Elli.  She  has,  in  her  time, 
laid  low  many  a  better  man  than  Asa  Thor  has 
shown  himself  to  be.* 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.        I25 

The  crone  came.  She  was  old,  withered,  and 
toothless,  and  Thor  shrank  from  the  thought  of 
wrestling  with  her;  but  he  had  no  choice.  She 
threw  her  arms  round  him,  and  drew  him  towards 
the  ground,  and  the  harder  he  tried  to  free  himself, 
the  tighter  grew  her  grasp.  They  struggled  long. 
Thor  strove  bravely,  but  a  strange  feeling  of  weak- 
ness and  weariness  came  over  him,  and  at  length 
he  tottered  and  fell  down  on  one  knee  before' her. 
At  this  sight  all  the  giants  laughed  aloud,  and 
Utgard  coming  up,  desired  the  old  woman  to 
leave  the  hall,  and  proclaimed  that  the  trials  were 
over.  No  one  of  his  followers  would  now  contend 
with  Asa  Thor,  he  said,  and  night  was  approaching. 
He  then  invited  Thor  and  his  companions  to  sit 
down  at  the  table,  and  spend  the  night  with  him 
as  his  guests.  Thor,  though  feeling  somewhat 
perplexed  and  mortified,  accepted  his  invitation 
courteously,  and  showed,  by  his  agreeable  behaviour 
during  the  evening,  that  he  knew  how  to  bear 
being  conquered  with  a  good  grace. 

In  the  morning,  when  Thor  and  his  companions 
were  leaving  the  city,  the  King  himself  accompanied 


126  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

them  without  the  gates;  and  Thor,  looking  steadily 
at  him  when  he  turned  to  bid  him  farewell,  perceived, 
for  the  first  time,  that  he  was  the  very  same 
Giant  Skrymir  with  whom  he  had  met  in  the 
forest 

"Come,  now,  Asa  Thor,"  said  the  giant  with 
a  strange  sort  of  smile  on  his  face,  "tell  me  truly, 
before  you  go,  how  you  think  your  journey  has 
turned  out,  and  whether  or  not  I  was  right  in 
saying  that  you  would  meet  with  better  men 
than  yourself  in  J6tunheim.n 

"I  confess  freely,"  answered  Asa  Thor,  looking 
up  without  any  false  shame  on  his  face,  "that  I 
have  acquitted  myself  but  humbly,  and  it  grieves 
me ;  for  I  know  that  in  Jotunheim  henceforward  it 
will  be  said  that  I  am  a  man  of  little  worth." 

"  By  my  troth !  no,"  cried  the  giant,  heartily. 
"Never  should  you  have  come  into  my  city  if 
I  had  known  what  a  mighty  man  of  valour  you 
really  are;  and  now  that  you  are  safely  out  of 
it,  I  will,  for  once,  tell  the  truth  to  yon,  Thor. 
All  this  time  I  have  been  deceiving  you  by  my 
enchantments.  When  you  met  me  in  the  forest, 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHE1M.        137 

and  hurled  Miolnir  at  my  head,  I  should  have 
been  crushed  by  the  weight  of  your  blows 
had  I  not  skilfully  placed  a  mountain  between 
myself  and  you,  on  which  the  strokes  of  your 
hammer  fell,  and  where  you  cleft  three  deep 
ravines,  which  shall  henceforth  become  verdant 
valleys.  In  the  same  manner  I  deceived  you 
about  the  contests  in  which  you  engaged  last  night 
When  Loki  and  Logi  sat  down  before  the  trough, 
Loki,  indeed,  eat  like  hunger  itself;  but  Logi 
is  fire,  who,  with  eager,  consuming  tongue,  licked 
up  both  bones  and  trough.  Thialfi  is  the  swiftest 
of  mortal  runners;  but  the  slender  lad,  Hugi, 
was  my  thought;  and  what  speed  can  ever  equal 
his?  So  it  was  in  your  own  trials.  When  you 
took  such  deep  draughts  from  the  horn,  you  little 
knew  what  a  wonderful  feat  you  were  performing. 
The  other  end  of  that  horn  reached  the  ocean, 
and  when  you  come  to  the  shore  you  will  see 
how  far  its  waters  have  fallen  away,  and  how 
much  the  deep  sea  itself  has  been  diminished  by 
your  draught  Hereafter,  men  watching  the  going 
out  of  the  tide  will  call  it  the  ebb,  or  draught 


128  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD 

of  Thor.  Scarcely  less  wonderful  was  the  prowess 
you  displayed  in  the  second  trial.  What  appeared 
to  you  to  be  a  cat,  was,  in  reality,  the  Midgard 
serpent,  which  encircles  the  world.  When  we  saw 
you  succeed  in  moving  it  we  trembled  lest  the  very 
foundations  of  earth  and  sea  should  be  shaken  by 
your  strength.  Nor  need  you  be  ashamed  of  having 
been  overthrown  by  the  old  woman  Elli,  for  she 
is  old  age;  and  there  never  has,  and  never  will 
be,  one  whom  she  has  not  the  power  to  lay  low. 
We  must  now  part,  and  you  had  better  not  come 
here  again,  or  attempt  anything  further  against 
ray  city;  for  I  shall  always  defend  it  by  fresh 
enchantments,  and  you  will  never  be  able  to  do 
anything  against  me. " 

At  these  words  Thor  raised  Miolnir,  and  was 
about  to  challenge  the  giant  to  a  fresh  trial  of 
strength;  but,  before  he  could  speak,  Utgarda 
vanished  from  his  sight;  and,  turning  round  to 
look  for  the  city,  he  found  that  it,  too,  had  dis- 
appeared, and  that  he  was  standing  alone  on  a 
smooth,  green,  empty  plain. 

"  What  a  fool  I  have  been,"  said  Asa  Thor,  alou'i. 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTVNHEIM.        t2g 

"to  allow  myself  to  be  deceived  by  a  mountain 
giant  !w 

"Ah,"  answered  a  voice  from  above,  "I  told 
you,  you  would  learn  to  know  yourself  better  by 
your  journey  to  Jotunheim.  It  is  the  great  use 
of  travelling." 

Thor  turned  quickly  round  again,  thinking  to 
see  Skrymir  behind  him;  but,  after  looking  on 
every  side,  he  could  perceive  nothing,  but  that 
a  high,  cloud-capped  mountain,  which  he  had  noticed 
on  the  horizon,  appeared  to  have  advanced  to  the 
edge  of  the  plain. 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGAKD. 


PART   IL 

THE  SERPENT  AND  THE   KETTLE, 

THOR  turned  away  from  Giant-land,  and  on  the 
road  homeward  he  passed  through  the  Sea-King's 
dominions.  There  he  found  that  ^Egir  the  Old 
was  giving  a  banquet  to  all  the  -^Esir  in  his  wide 
coral-caves.  At  a  little  distance  Thor  stood  still 
to  listen  and  to  look.  It  was  a  fair  sight:  cave 
within  cave  stretched  out  before  him  decked  with 
choicest  shells,  whilst  far  inward  lay  the  banquet- 
ing-hall,  lighted  with  shining  gold;  white  and  red 
coral-pillars  stood  at  uneven  distances;  the  bright- 
browed  ^Esir  reclined  at  the  board  on  soft  water 
couches;  JEgir's  daughters — the  fair-haired  waves 
— murmured  sweet  music  as  they  waited  on  their 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHE1M.        131 

guests;  and  little  baby-ripples  ran  about  laughing 
in  all  the  corners.  Thor  walked  through  the  caves 
and  entered  the  hall  As  he  did  so  Odin  looked 
up  from  his  place  at  ^Egir's  right  hand,  and  said, — 

"Good  evening,  son  Thor;  how  has  it  fared 
with  you  in  Jotunheim?" 

Thor's  face  grew  a  little  cloudy  at  this  question, 
and  he  only  answered, — 

"Not  as  it  ought  to  have  done,  father."  Then 
he  placed  himself  amongst  ^Egir's  guests. 

"In  my  dominions,"  said  King  -£5gir,  looking 
all  round,  "  an  extraordinary  thing  has  happened." 

"And  what  may  that  be,  brother?"  asked  Niord. 

"From  the  shores  of  Jotunheim,"  answered 
^Egir,  "the  sea  has  run  back  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
drawing  itself  away  as  if  a  giant  were  drinking 
it  in." 

"Is  that  all  you  have  got  to  say,  father? "said 
a  tall  Wave,  as  she  swept  her  hair  over  the  Sea- 
King's  shoulder,  and  peeped  up  from  behind  him; 
"is  that  all  you  know  of  the  wonders  which  are 
going  on  in  your  deep  home  ?  Listen." 

Then  JEgii  bent  forward  on  his  seat;  the 


132  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

all  ceased  speaking,  and  drew  in  their  breath;  the 
waves  raised  their  arched  necks,  and  were  still, 
listening.  From  a  great  way  off  came  the  sound 
of  a  sullen  swell. 

"Who  is  that  speaking?"  asked  Odin, 

"  That  is  Jormungand  speaking,"  said  Thor. 

"And  what  does  he  say,  Thor?" 

"  He  says  that  I  could  not  conquer  him." 

"Pass  round  the  foaming  mead,"  cried  -^Egir, 
who  saw  that  it  was  time  to  turn  the  conversation. 

But  alas!  ^Egir's  mead-kettle  was  so  small,  that 
before  it  had  gone  half  down  the  table  it  stood 
empty  before  Tyr. 

"There  is  a  giant  called  Hymir,"  remarked 
Tyr,  "who  lives  far  over  the  stormy  waves  to  east- 
ward at  the  end  of  heaven." 

The  JEsir  all  looked  up. 

"He  has  a  kettle,"  Tyr  went  on  to  say,  "which 
is  a  mile  deep,  and  which  would  certainly  hold 
mead  enough  for  all  this  company." 

"If  Hymir  would  lend  it  to  us,"  said  -^Egir,  "we 
could  finish  our  supper;  but  who  would  go  to  the 
end  of  heaven  to  borrow  a  kettle  ?  n 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.        I33 

Then  Thor  rose  from  the  table,  and  began  to 
tighten  round  him  his  belt  of  power ;  he  put  on  his 
iron  gloves,  and  took  Miolnir  in  his  hand. 

"What!  off  again  to  Giant-land,  Ving-Thor?" 
cried  ^Egir. 

"Didn't  you  say  you  wanted  Mile-deep?*1  said 
Thor.  "  I  am  going  to  borrow  it  of  Hymir  for  you. 
Will  you  come  with  me,  Tyr?" 

Tyr  sprang  up  joyfully,  and  the  two  brothers 
started  on  their  journey.  When  they  arrived 
at  Hymir's  dwelling,  which  was  a  roughly-hewn 
cavern  on  the  shore  of  a  frozen  sea,  the  first 
person  they  met  was  a  wonderful  giantess  with 
nine  hundred  heads,  in  which  glittered  fiery  eyes, 
and  which  grew  out  from  all  parts  of  her  body,  so 
that  it  was  impossible  to  tell  whether  she  was 
walking  upon  her  head  or  her  heels.  As  Thor  and 
Tyr  were  looking  at  her  trying  to  discover  this, 
a  woman  came  out  of  the  giant's  home  quite  as 
lovely  as  the  giantess  was  hideous.  She  greeted 
them  on  the  threshold.  Her  golden  hair  fell  thick 
upon  her  shoulders;  her  mild  eyes  shone  upon 
them;  and  with  words  of  welcome  she  held  out 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


her  hands  and  led  them  into  the  cavern.  There 
she  offered  them  meat  and  drink,  and  bade  them 
rest  until  her  husband,  Hymir,  should  come  home. 
As  the  darkness  came  on,  however,  and  the  time  of 
his  expected  return  drew  near,  she  became  silent  and 
anxious ;  and  at  last  she  said,  "  I  am  very  much  afraid 
that  my  husband  will  be  angry  if  he  sees  strangers 
here  when  he  comes  in.  Take  my  advice,  now,  Asa 
Thor  and  Asa  Tyr,  and  hide  behind  one  of  these  pillars 
in  the  rock.  My  lord,  I  assure  you,  is  surly  some- 
times, and  not  nearly  so  hospitable  as  I  could  wish." 

"We  are  not  accustomed  to  hide  ourselves," 
remarked  Thor. 

"But  you  shall  come  forth  when  I  call  you," 
answered  the  woman. 

So  the  ^Esir  did  as  she  desired.  By-and-bye 
they  heard  heavy  footsteps  far  off,  over  the  frozen 
sea,  coming  nearer  and  nearer  every  moment.  The 
distant  icebergs  resounded,  and  at  last  Hymir 
burst  open  the  door  of  his  cavern,  and  stalked 
angrily  in.  He  had  been  unsuccessful  that  day 
in  the  chase,  his  hands  were  frost-bitten,  and  a 
"hard-frozen  wood  stood  upon  his  cheek." 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.        I35 

As  soon  as  the  fair-browed  woman  saw  what  mood 
he  was  in  she  went  gently  towards  him,  placed  her 
hand  in  his,  and  told  him  of  the  arrival  of  the 
guests;  then,  with  a  sweet  smile  and  voice,  she 
entreated  him  to  receive  the  strangers  kindly,  and 
entertain  them  hospitably. 

Hymir  made  no  answer;  but,  at  one  glance  of 
his  eye  towards  the  place  where  the  JEsir  were 
hidden,  the  pillar  burst  asunder,  and  the  cross- 
beam which  it  supported  fell  with  a  crash  to  the 
ground.  Eight  ponderous  kettles  had  been  hang- 
ing on  the  beam,  and  all  but  one  were  shivered 
to  atoms. 

Thor  and  Tyr  then  stepped  forth  into  the  middle 
of  the  hall,  and  Hymir  received  them  civilly,  after 
which  he  turned  his  attention  to  supper;  and,  having 
cooked  three  whole  oxen,  he  invited  the  ALsir  to 
eat  with  him.  Thor  fell  to  work  with  great  relish, 
and  when  he  had  eaten  the  whole  of  one  ox,  prepared 
to  cut  a  slice  out  of  another. 

"You  eat  a  great  deal,"  said  Hymir,  sulkily, 
but  Thor  was  still  very  hungry,  and  went  on  with 
his  supper  until  he  had  eaten  two  entire  oxen. 


i36 


Tim  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


Then  said  Hymir,  "Another  night,  Ving-Thor, 
you  must  provide  your  own  supper;  for  I  can't 
undertake  to  keep  so  expensive  a  guest." 

Accordingly,  early  the  next  morning,  Hymir 
prepared  to  go  out  fishing,  and  offered  Thor  a 
place  in  his  boat  On  their  way  to  the  shore 
they  passed  a  herd  of  oxen  feeding. 

"  Have  you  provided  a  bait  for  me  ? "  said  Thor 
to  the  giant 

"You  must  get  one  for  yourself,"  answered 
Hymir,  surlily. 

So  Thor  was  obliged  to  cut  off  the  head  of  one 
of  the  oxen  for  a  bait. 

"You'll  never  be  able  to  carry  that  head,"  said 
Hymir;  for,  in  truth,  the  ox  to  which  it  had 
belonged  was  an  enormous  animal,  called  "  Heaven 
Breaking." 

But  Thor  made  nothing  of  the  head,  slung  it 
over  his  shoulder,  and  carried  it  down  to  the  boat 
As  they  got  under  weigh,  Thor  and  Hymir  each 
took  an  oar ;  but  Thor  pulled  so  fast,  and  with  such 
mighty  strokes,  that  the  giant  was  obliged  to  stop 
for  breath,  and  beg  that  they  might  go  no  further. 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.        I37 

"We  have  already  reached  the  spot,"  he  said, 
"  where  I  always  catch  the  finest  whales." 

"But  I  want  to  go  further  out  to  sea,"  said 
Thor. 

"That  will  be  dangerous,  Ving-Thor, "  said 
Hymir ;  "  for  if  we  row  any  further  we  shall  come 
to  the  waters  under  which  Jormungand  lies." 

Thor  laughed,  and  rowed  on.  At  last  he  stopped, 
baited  his  hook  with  the  ox's  head,  and  cast  the  line 
out  into  the  sea,  whilst  Hymir  leant  over  the  other 
side  of  the  boat,  and  caught  two  whales. 

•Now,  when  the  great  Jormungand  smelt  Thor's 
bait  he  opened  wide  his  monstrous  jaws,  and  eagerly 
snicked  in  both  head,  and  hook,  and  line;  but  no 
sooner  did  he  feel  the  pain  than  he  struggled  so 
fiercely,  and  plunged  so  wildly,  that  Thor's  hands 
were  in  an  instant  dashed  against  the  sides  of  the 
boat.  Still  Thor  did  not  lose  his  hold,  but  went 
on  pulling  with  such  wondrous  force  that  his 
feet  burst  through  the  boat,  and  rested  on  the 
slippery  rocks  beneath.  At  last  the  venomous 
monster's  mountain-high  head  was  hauled  above 
the  waves,  and  then,  indeed,  it  was  a  dreadful 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


sight  to  see  Thor,  in  all  the  power  of  his  god-like 
strength,  casting  his  fiery  looks  on  the  serpent, 
and  the  serpent  glaring  upon  him,  and  spitting 
forth  poisoned  venom.  Even  Hymir's  sun-burnt 
cheek  changed  colour  as  he  beheld  beneath  his 
feet  the  sinking  boat,  and  at  his  side  the  deadliest 
monster  of  the  deep.  At  last,  in  the  wildness  of 
his  fear,  he  rushed  before  Thor,  and  cut  his  line 
in  sunder.  Immediately  the  serpent's  head  began 
to  sink  ;  but  Thor  hurled  Miolnir  with  fearful  force 
after  it  into  the  waters. 

Then  did  the  rocks  burst;  it  thrndered  through 
the  caverns;  old  mother  earth  all  shrank;  even  the 
fishes  sought  the  bottom  of  the  ocean;  but  the 
serpent  sank  back,  with  a  long,  dull  sound,  beneath 
the  waves,  a  deep  wound  in  his  head,  and  smothered 
vengeance  in  his  heart. 

Ill  at  ease  and  silent,  Hymir  then  turned  to  go 
home,  and  Thor  followed  him,  carrying  boat  and 
oars,  and  everything  else,  on  his  shoulders.  Now, 
every  fresh  sight  of  Thor  increased  the  giant's 
envy  and  rage;  for  he  could  not  bear  to  think 
that  he  had  shown  so  little  courage  before  his 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.         I3g 

brave  guest,  and,  besides,  losing  his  boat  and  getting 
so  desperately  wet  in  his  feet  by  wading  home 
through  the  sea,  did  not  by  any  means  improve 
his  temper.  When  they  got  home,  therefore, 
and  were  supping  together,  he  began  jeering  and 
taunting  Thor. 

"No  doubt,  Asa  Thor, "  he  said,  "you  think 
yourself  a  good  rower  and  a  fine  fisher,  though 
you  did  not  catch  anything  to-day;  but  can 
you  break  that  drinking-cup  before  you,  do  you 
think?" 

Thor  seized  the  cup,  and  dashed  it  against  an 
upright  stone.  But,  lo  1  the  stone  was  shatterd 
in  pieces,  and  the  cup  unbroken.  Again,  with 
greater  strength,  he  hurled  the  cup  against  the 
pillars  in  the  rock :  it  was  still  without  a  crack. 

Now,  it  happened  that  the  beautiful  woman  was 
sitting  spinning  at  her  wheel  just  behind  where 
Thor  was  standing.  From  time  to  time  she  chanted 
snatches  of  old  runes  and  sagas  in  soft  tones  ;  and 
now,  when  Thor  stood  astonished  that  the  cup  was 
not  broken,  the  woman's  voice  fell  on  his  car, 
singing  low  the  following  words: — 


I4o  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

««  Hard  the  pillar,  hard  the  stone, 
Harder  yet  the  giant's  bone. 
Stones  shall  break  and  pillars  fall ; 
Hymir's  forehead  breaks  them  all." 

Then  Thor  once  more  took  the  cup,  and  hurled 
it  against  the  giant's  forehead.  The  cup  was  this 
time  shivered  to  pieces;  but  Hymir  himself  was 
unhurt,  and  cried  out,  "Well  done  at  last,  Ving- 
Thor;  but  can  you  carry  that  mile-deep  kettle 
out  of  my  hall,  think  you  ?" 

Tyr  tried  to  lift  it,  and  could  not  even  raise  the 
handle. 

Then  Thor  grasped  it  by  the  rim,  and,  as  he  did 
so,  his  feet  pressed  through  the  floor.  With  a  mighty 
effort  he  lifted  it;  he  placed  it  on  his  head,  while 
the  rings  rang  at  his  feet;  and  so  in  triumph  he 
bore  off  the  kettle,  and  set  out  again  for  ^Egir's  Hall. 

After  journeying  a  little  way  he  chanced  to  look 
round,  and  then  he  saw  that  a  host  of  many-headed 
giants,  with  Hymir  for  their  leader,  were  thronging 
after  him.  From  every  cavern,  and  iceberg,  and 
jagged  peak  some  hideous  monster  grinned  and 
leered  as  a  great  wild  beast  waiting  for  his  prey. 


HOW  THOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.        i4I 

"Treachery!"  cried  Thor,  as  he  raised  Miolnir 
above  his  head,  and  hurled  it  three  times  among 
the  giants. 

In  an  instant  they  stood  stiff,  and  cold,  and 
dead,  in  rugged  groups  along  the  shore ;  one  with 
his  arm  raised;  another  with  his  head  stretched 
out;  some  upright,  some  crouching;  each  in  the 
position  he  had  last  assumed.  And  there  still 
they  stand,  petrified  by  ages  into  giant  rocks ;  and, 
still  pointing  their  stony  fingers  at  each  other,  they 
tell  the  mighty  tale  of  Thor's  achievements,  and 
the  wondrous  story  of  their  fate. 

"Pass  round  the  foaming  mead,"  cried  King 
^Egir,  as  Thor  placed  "  Mile-deep "  on  the  table ; 
and  this  time  it  happened  that  there  was  enough 
for  every  one. 


Thor,  as  his  name  implies,  was  the  thunder  god ; 
his  realm  was  called  Thrudvang,  which  is  said  to 
mean  the  "Region  of  Fortitude."  Of  his  hall,  Bilskirnir 
(storm-serene),  Odin  says,  "  Five  hundred  floors,  and 
forty  eke,  has  Bilskirnir  with  its  windings.  Of  all  the 


142  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

roofed  houses  that  I  know  is  my  son's  the  greatest" 
His  hammer,  Miolnir,  "To  pound,  or  grind," — 
Megingjardir,  his  belt  of  prowess— his  goats,  whose 
names  signify  "  To  crack,  grind,  gnash  "  and  "  race  at 
intervals" — his  attendant  Thialfi,  the  swift  falling 
thunder  shower,  all  help  to  picture  him  in  this 
character;  but  he  ought  to  be  understood,  also,  in  the 
larger  sense  of  a  god  of  cultivation  and  the  order 
of  nature,  in  opposition  to  the  whole  tribe  of 
the  Hrimthursar,  frost-giants,  mountain-giants,  fog- 
enchantments,  and  the  like  sterile  portions  and 
retarding  forces  of  the  physical  world.  The  principle 
of  combat  in  the  physical  world,  Thor  appears 
also  as  the  chief  hero-god  and  warrior ;  his  victories 
are  moral  as  well  as  physical — his  life  was  unceasing 
warfare. 

In  the  Edda  account  of  Thor  going  to  Utgard, 
the  giant-king  whom  he  finds  there  is  called 
Utgard-Z0&'/  and  it  is  to  be  observed  that 
Loki,  who,  we  saw,  had  his  own  root  in  fire,  is  in 
Utgard  opposed  to  Logi  who  is  also  fire,  so  that  in 
this  myth  Loki  stands  in  opposition  to  two  beings 
nearly  akin  to  himself.  This  may  be  explained  as 


HOWTHOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.        I43 

follows.  Utgard,  outer-world,  or  under-world,  means 
outside  of  both  the  human  and  godly  regions,  and 
reminds  us  of  the  chaotic,  elementary  powers. 
Utgard-Loki,  or  out-worldly-Loki,  represents  outside 
of  human  world  in  its  evil  aspect — the  destructive 
apart  from  the  formative  principle.  Connected  with 
him  appears  elementary  fire  (Logi),  and  Loki  is 
opposed  to  the  latter  because  at  the  time  this  myth 
was  conceived  he  had  come  to  mean  evil  in  the  world 
rather  than  that  elementary  double-natured  fire  out 
of  which  the  idea  of  his  evil  had  originally  crept. 
This  view  of  Utgard,  viz.,  its  connection  with  the 
chaotic  powers,  explains  the  apparent  defeats  of  Thor 
during  his  visit  there,  for  Thor  is  a  deity  of  the 
formed  universe,  he  can  subdue  that  to  his  will,  not 
the  first  double-natured  elements  out  of  which  it  was 
built  up. 

How  naturally  would  the  dark  frozen  land  and 
misty  mountain  shapes  of  the  north,  suggest  to  the 
ancient  song  singers  these  ideas  concerning  out- 
worldly  and  in  worldly  giants  and  wild  unfathomable 
powers  and  enchanted  combatants. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Asa  Thor  does   not 


144  THE  HE-ROES  OF  ASGARD. 

always  appear  in  the  favourable  light  in  which  the 
tales  given  here  represent  him.  There  are  one  or 
two  very  uncomfortable  stories  about  him,  bringing 
out  those  dark  traits  of  craft  and  cruelty  which, 
as  we  saw  before,  so  often  stained  the  bright  shields  of 
northern  warriors.  In  particular,  there  is  a  story 
of  his  losing  his  hammer  and  going  to  Jotunheim  to 
recover  it,  disguised  as  Freyja.  When  his  craft 
had  succeeded,  and  he  felt  the  hammer  in  his  grasp 
again,  "Loud  laughed,"  says  the  lay,  "the  fierce  hearted 
one's  soul  in  his  breast"  After  which  he  slew,  first 
the  giant  who  had  robbed  him,  then  all  the  giant's 
race.  Perhaps,  even  so  far  as  that  we  could  have  for- 
given him,  but — the  giant,  it  is  said,  had  "  a  luckless 
sister,  an  aged  sister,"  and  the  hero-god  must  need 
slay  her  too.  "Blows  she  got,  a  hammer's  stroke,"  and 
"so,"  ends  the  lay,  "did  Odin's  son  get  his  hammer 
back,"  apparently  well  satisfied  with  the  whole  per- 
formance. But  are  the  Warrior-god's  descendants  so 
very  different  from  himself — the  giant's  sister,  the  aged, 
luckless  sister,  who  does  not  seem  as  if  she  could 
do  anybody  much  harm,  is  she  not  apt  even  now  to 
fall  beneath  the  vengeful  hammers  of  our  modern 


HOWTHOR  WENT  TO  JOTUNHEIM.         145 

Thors,   remorselessly  stricken   down    after   the  real 
battle  has  been  fought  and  won? 

From  the  fierce  thunder  deity  we  turn  to  Njord's 
bright  children,  Frey  and  Freyja,  "Beauteous  and 
mighty." 


FRRY. 


CHAPTER  HL 
FREY. 

PART  L 

ON  TIPTOE  IN  AIR  THRONE. 

I  TOLD  you,  some  time  ago,  how  Van  Frey  went 
away  into  Alfheim  with  the  light  elves,  of  whom 
Odin  made  him  king  and  schoolmaster. 

You  have  heard  what  Frey  was  like,  and  the 
kind  of  lessons  he  promised  to  teach  his  pupils, 
so  you  can  imagine  what  pleasant  times  they  had 
of  it  hi  Alfheim. 

Wherever'  Frey  came  there  was  summer  and 
sunshine.  Flowers  sprang  up  under  his  foot- 
steps, and  bright-winged  insects,  like  flying  flowers, 


148  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

hovered  round  his  head.  His  warm  breath  ripened 
the  fruit  on  the  trees,  and  gave  a  bright  yellow 
colour  to  the  corn,  and  purple  bloom  to  the 
grapes,  as  he  passed  through  fields  and  vineyards. 

When  he  rode  along  in  his  car,  drawn  by  the 
stately  boar,  Golden  Bristles,  soft  winds  blew  before 
him,  filling  the  air  with  fragrance,  and  spreading 
abroad  the  news,  "  Van  Frey  is  coming ! "  and  every 
half-closed  flower  burst  into  perfect  beauty,  and 
forest,  and  field,  and  hill,  flushed  their  richest 
colours  to  greet  his  presence. 

Under  Frey's  care  and  instruction  the  pretty 
little  light  elves  forgot  their  idle  ways,  and  learned 
all  the  pleasant  tasks  he  had  promised  to  teach 
them.  It  was  the  prettiest  possible  sight  to  see 
them  in  the  evening  filling  their  tiny  buckets,  and 
running  about  among  the  woods  and  meadows  to 
hang  the  dew-drops  deftly  on  the  slender  tips  of 
the  grass-blades,  or  to  drop  them  into  the  half- 
closed  cups  of  the  sleepy  flowers.  When  this  last 
of  their  day's  tasks  was  over  they  used  to  cluster 
round  their  summer-king,  like  bees  about  the 
queen,  while  he  told  them  stories  about  the  wars 


between  the  JEsir  and  the  giants,  or  of  the  old 
time  when  he  lived  alone  with  his  father  Niord, 
in  Noatun,  and  listened  to  the  waves  singing  songs 
of  far  distant  lands.  So  pleasantly  did  they  spend 
their  time  in  Alfheim, 

But  in  the  midst  of  all  this  work  and  play 
Frey  had  a  wish  in  his  mind,  of  which  he  could 
not  help  often  talking  to  his  clear-minded  mes- 
senger and  friend  Skirnir.  "I  have  seen  many 
things,"  he  used  to  say,  "and  travelled  through 
many  lands;  but  to  see  all  the  world  at  once,  as 
Asa  Odin  does  from  Air  Throne,  thai  must  be  a 
splendid  sight" 

"Only  Father  Odin  may  sit  on  Air  Throne," 
Skirnir  would  say;  and  it  seemed  to  Frey  that 
this  answer  was  not  so  much  to  the  purpose  as 
his  friend's  sayings  generally  were. 

At  length,  one  very  clear  summer  evening,  when 
Odin  was  feasting  with  the  other  ^Esir  in  Valhalla, 
Frey  could  restrain  his  curiosity  no  longer.  He 
left  Alfheim,  where  all  the  little  elves  were  fast 
asleep,  and,  without  asking  any  one's  advice, 
climbed  into  Air  Throne,  and  stood  on  tiptoe  in 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


Odin's  very  seat  It  was  a  clear  evening,  and  I 
had,  perhaps,  better  not  even  try  to  tell  you  what 
Frey  saw. 

He  looked  first  all  round  him  over  Manheim, 
where  the  rosy  light  of  the  set  sun  still  lingered, 
and  where  men,  and  birds,  and  flowers  were  gather- 
ing themselves  up  for  their  night's  repose;  then  he 
glanced  towards  the  heavenly  hills  where  Bitrost 
rested,  and  then  towards  the  shadowy  land  which 
deepened  down  into  Niflheim.  At  length  he  turned 
his  eyes  northward  to  the  misty  land  of  Jotunheim. 
There  the  shades  of  evening  had  already  fallen ;  but 
from  his  high  place  Frey  could  still  see  distinct 
shapes  moving  about  through  the  gloom.  Strange 
and  monstrous  shapes  they  were,  and  Frey  stood  a 
little  higher,  on  tiptoe,  that  he  might  look  further 
after  them.  In  this  position  he  could  just  descry  a 
tall  house  standing  on  a  hill  in  the  very  middle  of 
Jotunheim.  While  he  looked  at  it  a  maiden  came 
and  lifted  up  her  arms  to  undo  the  latch  of  the 
door.  It  was  dusk  in  Jotunheim ;  but  when 
this  maiden  lifted  up  her  white  arms,  such  a 
dazzling  reflection  came  from  them,  that  Jotun- 


PREY*  151 

heim,  and  the  sky,  and  all  the  sea  were  flooded 
with  clear  light  For  a  moment  everything  could 
be  distinctly  seen;  but  Frey  saw  nothing  but 
the  face  of  the  maiden  with  the  uplifted  arms; 
and  when  she  had  entered  the  house  and  shut 
the  door  after  her,  and  darkness  fell  again  on 
earth,  and  sky,  and  sea, — darkness  fell,  too,  upon 
Fre/s  heart 


152  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


PART  IL 

THE  GIFT. 

THE  next  morning,  when  the  little  elves  awoke 
up  with  the  dawn,  and  came  thronging  round 
their  king  to  receive  his  commands,  they  were 
surprised  to  see  that  he  had  changed  since  they 
last  saw  him. 

"  He  has  grown  up  in  the  night,"  they  whispered 
one  to  another  sorrowfully. 

And  in  truth  he  was  no  longer  so  fit  a  teacher 
and  playfellow  for  the  merry  little  people  as  he  had 
been  a  few  hours  before. 

It  was  to  no  purpose  that  the  sweet  winds  blew, 
and  the  flowers  opened,  when  Frey  came  forth 
from  his  chamber.  A  bright  white  light  still 


FREY.  I53 

danced  before  him,  and  nothing  now  seemed  to  him 
worth  looking  at.  That  evening  when  the  sun  had 
set,  and  work  was  over,  there  were  no  stories  for 
the  light  elves. 

"Be  still,"  Frey  said,  when  they  pressed  round. 
'If  you  will  be  still  and  listen,  there  are  stories 
enough  to  be  heard  better  than  mine." 

I  do  not  know  whether  the  elves  heard  any- 
thing; but  to  Frey  it  seemed  that  flowers,  and 
birds,  and  winds,  and  the  whispering  rivers,  united 
that  day  in  singing  one  song,  which  he  never 
wearied  of  hearing. 

"We  are  fair,"  they  said;  "but  there  is  nothing 
in  the  whole  world  so  fair  as  Gerda,  the  giant-maiden 
whom  you  saw  last  night  in  Jotunheim." 

"Frey  has  dew-drops  in  his  eyes,"  the  little 
elves  said  to  each  other  in  whispers  as  they  sat 
round  looking  up  at  him,  and  they  felt  very  much 
surprised;  for  only  to  men  and  the  ^Esir  is  it 
permitted  to  be  sorrowful  and  weep. 

Soon,  however,  wiser  people  noticed  the  change 
that  had  come  over  the  summer  king,  and  his 
good-natured  father,  Niord,  sent  Skirnir  one  day 

L 


154       THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

into  Alfheim  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  Prey's 
sorrow. 

He  found  him  walking  alone  in  a  shady  place, 
and  Frey  was  glad  enough  to  tell  his  trouble  to 
his  wise  friend. 

When  he  had  related  the  whole  story,  he  said, — 

"And  now  you  will  see  that  there  is  no  use  in 
asking  me  to  be  merry  as  I  used  to  be ;  for  how 
can  I  ever  be  happy  in  Alfheim,  and  enjoy  the 
summer  and  sunshine,  while  my  dear  Gerd,  whom 
I  love,  is  living  in  a  dark,  cold  land,  among 
cruel  giants?" 

"If  she  be  really  as  beautiful  and  beloved  as 
you  say,"  answered  Skirnir,  "  she  must  be  sadly  out 
of  place  in  Jotunheim.  Why  do  not  you  ask  her 
to  be  your  wife,  and  live  with  you  in  Alfheim?" 

"That  would  I  only  too  gladly  do,"  answered 
Frey;  "but  if  I  were  to  leave  Alfheim  only  for 
a  few  hours,  the  cruel  giant,  Ryme,*  would  rush 
in  to  take  my  place;  all  the  labours  of  the  year 
would  be  undone  in  a  night,  and  the  poor,  toiling 
men,  who  are  watching  for  the  harvest,  would 
*  Ryme— the  Frost  Giant 


PREY.  ,55 

wake  some  morning  to  find  their  corn-fields  and 
orchards  buried  in  snow." 

"Well,"  said  Skirnir,  thoughtfully,  "I  am  neither 
so  strong  nor  so  beautiful  as  you,  Frey;  but,  if 
you  will  give  me  the  sword  that  hangs  by  your 
side,  I  will  undertake  the  journey  to  Jotunheim; 
and  I  will  speak  in  such  a  way  of  you,  and  of 
Alfheim,  to  the  lovely  Gerd,  that  she  will  gladly 
leave  her  land  and  the  house  of  her  giant-father 
to  come  to  you." 

Now,  Frey's  sword  was  a  gift,  and  he  knew 
well  enough  that  he  ought  not  to  part  with  it, 
or  trust  it  in  any  hands  but  his  own;  and  yet 
how  could  he  expect  Skirnii  to  risk  all  the 
dangers  of  Jotunheim  for  any  less  recompense 
than  an  enchanted  sword?  and  what  other  hope 
had  he  of  ever  seeing  his  dear  Gerda  again? 

He  did  not  allow  himself  a  moment  to  think  of 
the  choice  he  was  making.  He  unbuckled  his  sword 
from  his  side  and  put  it  into  Skirnir's  hands; 
and  then  he  turned  rather  pettishly  away,  and  threw 
himself  down  on  a  mossy  bank  under  a  tree. 

"You  will  be  many  days  in  travelling  to  Jotun- 


156       THE  HEROES  OF  ABOARD. 

heim,"    he    said,    "and    all    that  time  I  shall    be 
miserable." 

Skimir  was  too  sensible  to  think  this  speech 
worth  answering.  He  took  a  hasty  farewell  of 
Frey,  and  prepared  to  set  off  on  his  journey ; 
but,  before  he  left  the  hill,  he  chanced  to  see 
the  reflection  of  Frey's  face  in  a  little  pool  of 
water  that  lay  near.  In  spite  of  its  sorrow- 
ful expression,  it  was  as  beautiful  as  the  woods 
are  in  full  summer,  and  a  clever  thought  came 
into  Skirnir's  mind.  He  stooped  down,  without 
Frey's  seeing  him,  and,  with  cunning  touch,  stole 
the  picture  out  of  the  water;  then  he  fastened 
it  up  carefully  in  his  silver  drinking-horn,  and, 
hiding  it  in  his  mantle,  he  mounted  his  horse 
and  rode  towards  Jotunheim,  secure  of  succeeding 
in  his  mission,  since  he  carried  a  matchless  sword 
to  conquer  the  giant,  and  a  matchless  picture  to 
win  the  maiden* 


FREY. 


PART  IIL 

FAIREST  GERD. 

I  TOLD  you  that  the  house  of  Gymir,  Gerda's 
father,  stood  in  the  middle  of  Jotunheim,  so  it  will 
not  be  difficult  for  you  to  imagine  what  a  toilsome 
and  wondrous  journey  Skirnir  had.  He  was  a 
brave  hero,  and  he  rode  a  brave  horse;  but^ 
when  they  came  to  the  barrier  of  murky  flame 
that  surrounds  Jotunheim,  a  shudder  came  over 
both. 

"Dark  it  is  without,"  said  Skirnir  to  his  horse, 
"and  you  and  I  must  leap  through  flame,  and 
go  over  hoar  mountains  among  Giant  Folk.  The 
giants  will  take  us  both,  or  we  shall  return 
victorious  together." 


'58 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


Then  he  patted  his  horse's  neck,  and  touched 
him  with  his  armed  heel,  and  with  one  bound  he 
cleared  the  barrier,  and  his  hoofs  rang  on  the 
frozen  land. 

Their  first  day's  journey  was  through  the  land 
of  the  Frost  Giants,  whose  prickly  touch  kills,  and 
whose  breath  is  sharper  than  swords.  Then  they 
passed  through  the  dwellings  of  the  horse-headed 
and  vulture-headed  giants, — Monsters  terrible  to 
see.  Skirnir  hid  his  face,  and  the  horse  flew 
along  swifter  than  the  wind. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  day  they  reached 
Gymir's  house.  Skirnir  rode  round  it  nine  times; 
but  though  there  were  twenty  doors,  he  could  find 
no  entrance;  for  fierce  three-headed  dogs  guarded 
every  door-way. 

At  length  he  saw  a  herdsman  pass  near,  and 
he  rode  up  and  asked  him  how  it  was  possible  for  a 
stranger  to  enter  Gymir's  house,  or  get  a  sight  of 
his  fair  daughter  Gerd. 

"Are  you  doomed  to  death,  or  are  you 
already  a  dead  man,"  answered  the  herdsman, 
"  that  you  talk  of  seeing  Gymir's  fair  daughter, 


FREY.  I59 

or  entering  a  house  from  which  no  one  ever 
returns  ?" 

"  My  death  is  fixed  for  one  day,"  said  Skirnir, 
in  answer,  and  his  voice,  the  voice  of  an  Asa, 
sounded  loud  and  clear  through  the  misty  air 
of  Jotunheim.  It  reached  the  ears  of  the 
fair  Gerd  as  she  sat  in  her  chamber  with  her 
maidens. 

"What  is  that  noise  of  noises," she  said,  "that  I 
hear?  The  earth  shakes  with  it,  and  all  GynuYs 
halls  tremble." 

Then  one  of  the  maidens  got  up,  and  peeped 
out  of  the  window. 

"I  see  a  man,"  she  said;  "he  has  dismounted 
from  his  horse,  and  he  is  fearlessly  letting  it  graze 
before  the  door." 

"Go  out  and  bring  him  in  stealthily,  then," 
said  Gerda;  "I  must  again  hear  him  speak; 
for  his  voice  is  sweeter  than  the  ringing  of  bells." 

So  the  maiden  rose,  and  opened  the  house-door 
softly,  lest  the  grim  giant,  Gymir,  who  was  drink- 
ing mead  in  the  banquet-hall  with  seven  other 
giants,  should  hear  and  come  forth. 


160  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

Skirnir  heard  the  door  open,  and  understanding 
the  maiden's  sign,  he  entered  with  stealthy  steps, 
and  followed  her  to  Gerda's  chamber.  As  soon  as 
he  entered  the  doorway  the  light  from  her  face 
shone  upon  him,  and  he  no  longer  wondered  that 
Frey  had  given  up  his  sword. 

"Are  you  the  son  of  an  Asa,  or  an  Alf,  or 
of  a  wise  Van?"  asked  Gerda;  "and  why  have 
you  come  through  flame  and  snow  to  visit  our 
halls  ?" 

Then  Skirnir  came  forward  and  knelt  at  Gerda's 
feet,  and  gave  his  message,  and  spoke  as  he  had 
promised  to  speak  of  Van  Frey  and  of  Alfheim. 

Gerda  listened;  and  it  was  pleasant  enough  to 
talk  to  her,  looking  into  her  bright  face;  but  she 
did  not  seem  to  understand  much  of  what  he  said. 

He  promised  to  give  her  eleven  golden  apples 
from  Iduna's  grove  if  she  would  go  with  him,  and 
that  she  should  have  the  magic  ring  Draupnir  from 
which  every  day  a  still  fairer  jewel  fell.  But  he 
found  there  was  no  use  in  talking  of  beautiful 
things  to  one  who  had  never  in  all  her  life 
anything  beautiful. 


FREY.  I6l 

Gerda  smiled  at  him  as  a  child  smiles  at  a  fairy 
tale. 

At  length  he  grew  angry.  "If  you  are  so 
childish,  maiden,"  he  said,  "that  you  can  believe 
only  what  you  have  seen,  and  have  no  thought  of 
^Esirland  or  the  ^Esir,  then  sorrow  and  utter 
darkness  shall  fall  upon  you;  you  shall  live  alone 
on  the  Eagle  Mount  turned  towards  Hel.  Terrors 
shall  beset  you;  weeping  shall  be  your  lot  Men 
and  ^Esir  will  hate  you,  and  you  shall  be  doomed 
to  live  for  ever  with  the  Frost  Giant,  Ryme,  in 
whose  cold  arms  you  will  wither  away  like  a  thistle 
on  a  house-top." 

"Gently,"  said  Gerd,  turning  away  her  bright 
head,  and  sighing.  "How  am  I  to  blame?  you 
make  such  a  talk  of  your  JEsir  and  your  ^Esir; 
but  how  can  I  know  about  it,  when  all  my  life  long 
I  have  lived  with  giants?" 

At  these  words,  Skirnir  rose  as  if  he  would 
have  departed,  but  Gerda  called  him  back. 

"You  must  drink  a  cup  of  mead,"  she  said, 
"in  return  for  your  sweet-sounding  words." 

Skirnir    heard    this    gladly,    for    now    he    knew 


l6a  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

what  he  would  do.  He  took  the  cup  from  her 
hand,  drank  off  the  mead,  and,  before  he  re- 
turned it,  he  contrived  cleverly  to  pour  in  the 
water  from  his  drinking-horn,  on  which  Frey's 
image  was  painted  ;  then  he  put  the  cup  into  Gerda's 
hand,  and  bade  her  look. 

She  smiled  as  she  looked ;  and  the  longer  she 
looked,  the  sweeter  grew  her  smile;  for  she  looked 
for  the  first  time  on  a  face  that  loved  her, 
and  many  things  became  clear  to  her  that 
she  had  never  understood  before.  Skirnir's 
words  were  no  longer  like  fairy  tales.  She  could 
now  believe  in  ^Esirland,  and  in  all  beautiful 
things. 

"  Go  back  to  your  master,"  she  said,  at  last, 
"and  tell  him  that  in  nine  days  I  will  meet 
him  in  the  warm  wood  Barri." 

After  hearing  these  joyful  words,  Skimir  made 
haste  to  take  leave,  for  every  moment  that  he 
lingered  in  the  giant's  house  he  was  in  danger. 
One  of  Gerda's  maidens  conducted  him  to  the 
door,  and  he  mounted  his  horse  again,  and  rode 
from  Jotunheim  with  a  glad  heart 


FREY. 


PART  IV. 

THE  WOOD  BARRL 

WHEN  Skirnir  got  back  to  Alfheim,  and  told 
Gerd's  answer  to  Frey,  he  was  disappointed  to 
find  that  his  master  did  not  immediately  look  as 
bright  and  happy  as  he  expected. 

"Nine  days!"  he  said;  "but  how  can  I  wait 
nine  days?  One  day  is  long,  and  three  days 
are  very  long,  but  'nine  days'  might  as  well 
be  a  whole  year." 

I  have  heard  children  say  such  things  when  one 
tells  them  to  wait  for  a  new  toy. 

Skirnir  and  old  Niord  only  laughed  at  it;  but 
Freyja  and  all  the  ladies  of  Asgard  made  a 
journey  to  Alfheim,  when  they  heard  the  story, 


164  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD, 

to  comfort  Frey,  and  hear  all  the  news  about 
the  wedding. 

"Dear  Frey,"  they  said,  "it  will  never  do  to 
lie  still  here,  sighing  under  a  tree.  You  are 
quite  mistaken  about  the  time  being  long;  it  is 
hardly  long  enough  to  prepare  the  marriage  pre- 
sents, and  talk  over  the  wedding.  You  have  no 
idea  how  busy  we  are  going  to  be;  everything 
in  Alfheim  will  have  to  be  altered  a  little." 

At  these  words  Frey  really  did  lift  up  his 
head,  and  wake  up  from  his  musings.  He  looked, 
in  truth,  a  little  frightened  at  the  thought;  but, 
when  all  the  Asgard  ladies  were  ready  to  work 
for  his  wedding,  how  could  he  make  any  ob- 
jection? He  was  not  allowed  to  have  much  share 
in  the  business  himself;  but  he  had  little  time, 
during  the  nine  days,  to  indulge  in  private 
thought,  for  never  before  was  there  such  a  com- 
motion in  Alfheim.  The  ladies  found  so  many 
things  that  wanted  overlooking,  and  the  little 
light  elves  were  not  of  the  slightest  use  to 
any  one.  They  forgot  all  their  usual  tasks,  and 
went  running  about  through  groves  and  fields, 


FJREY.  165 


and  by  the  sedgy  banks  of  rivers,  peering  into 
earth-holes,  and  creeping  down  into  flower-cups 
and  empty  snail-shells,  every  one  hoping  to  find 
a  gift  for  Gerda. 

Some  stole  the  light  from  glow-worms'  tails, 
and  wove  it  into  a  necklace,  and  others  pulled 
the  ruby  spots  from  cowslip  leaves,  to  set  with 
jewels  the  acorn  cups  that  Gerda  was  to  drink 
from;  while  the  swiftest  runners  chased  the 
butterflies,  and  pulled  feathers  from  their  wings 
to  make  fans  and  bonnet-plumes. 

All  the  work  was  scarcely  finished  when  the 
ninth  day  came,  and  Frey  set  out  from  Alfheim 
with  all  his  elves,  to  the  warm  wood  Bam. 

The  -dSsir  joined  him  on  the  way,  and  they 
made,  together,  something  like  a  wedding  pro- 
cession. First  came  Frey  in  his  chariot,  drawn 
by  Golden  Bristles,  and  carrying  in  his  hand 
the  wedding-ring,  which  was  none  other  than 
Draupnir,  the  magic  ring  of  which  so  many 
stories  are  told. 

Odin  and  Frigga  followed  with  their  wedding 
gift,  the  Ship  Skidbladnir,  in  which  all  the 


r66  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


iT  could  sit  and  sail,  though  it  could  after- 
wards be  folded  up  so  small,  that  you  might 
carry  it  in  your  hand. 

Then  came  Iduna,  with  eleven  golden  apples 
in  a  basket  on  her  fair  head,  and  then  two  and 
two  all  the  heroes  and  ladies  with  their  gifts. 

All  round  them  flocked  the  elves,  toiling  under 
the  weight  of  their  offerings.  It  took  twenty 
little  people  to  carry  one  gift,  and  yet  there  was 
not  one  so  large  as  a  baby's  finger.  Laughing, 
and  singing,  and  dancing,  they  entered  the  warm 
wood,  and  every  summer  flower  sent  a  sweet 
breath  after  them.  Everything  on  earth  smiled 
on  the  wedding-day  of  Frey  and  Gerda,  only  — 
when  it  was  all  over,  and  every  one  had  gone 
home,  and  the  moon  shone  cold  into  the  wood 
—  it  seemed  as  if  the  Vanir  spoke  to  one 
another. 

"Odin,"  said  one  voice,  "gave  his  eye  for 
wisdom,  and  we  have  seen  that  it  was  well  done," 

"  Frey,"  answered  the  other,  "  has  given  his  sword 
for  happiness.  It  may  be  well  to  be  unarmed 
while  the  sun  shines  and  bright  days  last;  but 


FREY. 


when  Ragnarok  has  come,  and  the  sons  of  Muspell 
ride  down  to  the  last  fight,  will  not  Frey  regret 
his  sword?" 


Frey  appears  as  the  summer  god,  and  the  Boar 
was  sacred  to  him  because,  from  its  tearing  up  the 
earth  with  its  tusks,  it  typified  agriculture  and  return 
of  the  seed-sowing  time.  Gerda  is  supposed  to 
represent  the  frozen  earth,  which  Summer  seeing 
from  far  off  loves  and  woos  to  his  embrace.  The 
lighting  of  the  sky  by  the  uplifted  giant  maiden's 
arms  is  explained  to  mean  the  Northern  Lights 
glancing  from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other. 
Frey  parts  with  his  sword  in  order  to  win  Gerda — 
this  is  alluded  to  in  both  Eddas  as  if  it  were  wrong 
or  at  any  rate  highly  imprudent  "When  the  sons 
of  Muspell  come  at  Ragnarok,"  it  is  said,  and 
Frey  shall  have  to  meet  Surtur  in  battle,  "then 
will  thou,  unhappy,  not  have  wherewith  to  fight" 
The  ship  Skidbladnir  was  said  to  have  been  made 
by  four  dwarfs  in  the  beginning  of  time;  it  is  alluded 
to  in  a  poem  quoted  before.  Draupnir  is  not  men- 


168       THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

tioned  in  the  Edda  in  connection  with  Fiey  and 
Gerda. 

The  Northmen  had  three  grand  religious  festivals 
in  their  year:  they  all  took  place  in  the  winter 
half  of  the  year,  between  the  harvest  and  seed 
time.  One  was  celebrated  in  midwinter  about 
the  turn  of  the  day,  and  from  so  very  nearly 
coinciding  with  our  Christmas,  its  name,  "Yule," 
came  to  be  applied  to  the  Christian  festival. 
Yule  is  derived  from  a  name  of  Odin,  but  it  is 
said  by  Laing  that  this  winter  feast  was  held  in 
honour  of  Thor.  In  Fouque^s  writings  a  custom 
is  named  which  the  Scandinavians  had  of  making 
vows  to  accomplish  some  great  enterprise  before 
another  new  year,  over  a  golden  boar's  head  at 
this  winter  feast;  the  mention  of  the  golden  boar 
seems  to  connect  the  festival  with  the  god  Frey, 
probably  it  was  a  general  propitiation  of  the  summer 
deities  for  the  coming  year;  the  second  festival  was 
in  honour  of  the  goddesses ;  the  third,  about  spring, 
in  honour  of  Odin,  because  at  this  season  warlike 
expeditions  began  to  be  undertaken. 


THE  WANDERINGS  OF  FREYJA. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  WANDERINGS  OF  FREYJA. 

PART  L 

THE  NECKLACE  BRISINGAMBN. 

Now,  though  Frey  was  made  king  and  school- 
master of  the  light  elves,  and  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  with  them  in  Alfheim,  his 
sister  Freyja  remained  in  the  city  of  Asgard,  and 
had  a  palace  built  for  her  named  Folkvang.  In 
this  palace  there  was  one  very  beautiful  hall, 
Sessrymnir— the  "Roomy  Seated  "—where  Freyja 
entertained  her  guests,  and  she  had  always  plenty 
of  them;  for  every  one  liked  to  look  at  her 
beautiful  face,  and  listen  to  her  enchanting  music 


1 7o  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

which  was  quite  superior  to  anybody  else's.  She 
had,  moreover,  a  wonderful  husband  named  Odur, 
who  was  one  of  the  sons  of  the  immortals,  anr1 
had  come  from  a  long  way  off  on  purpose  tc 
marry  her.  Freyja  was  a  little  proud  of  this, 
and  used  often  to  speak  of  it  to  Frigga  and 
the  other  ladies  of  Asgard.  Some  of  them  said 
she  was  a  very  fortunate  person;  but  some  were  a 
little  jealous  of  her,  whilst  Frigga  always  gravely 
warned  her  not  to  be  vain  on  account  of  her 
happiness,  lest  sorrow  should  overtake  her  un- 
awares. 

Everything  went  on  quite  smoothly,  however, 
for  a  long  time,  Freyja  leading  a  very  gay  and 
beautiful  life  in  the  sunshine  of  her  happiness, 
and  herself  a  very  radiant  joy  to  every  one  around 
her.  But  one  day,  one  unlucky  day,  Freyja,  this 
fair  and  sunshiny  young  Vana,  went  out  alone 
from  Asgard  to  take  a  walk  in  Alfheim.  She 
hoped  to  meet  somewhere  thereabouts  her  dear 
brother  Frey,  whom  she  had  not  seen  for  a  long 
time,  and  of  whom  she  wanted  to  ask  a  very 
particular  favour.  The  occasion  for  it  was  this; — 


THE  WANDERINGS  OF  FRE  YJA.  x  7  x 

Heimdall  and  ^gir  were  expected  to  dine  at 
Valhalla  the  next  day,  and  Freyja  and  her  husband 
were  invited  to  meet  them.  All  the  lords  and 
ladies  of  Asgard  were  to  be  there.  Niord,  too, 
was  coming,  with  his  new  wife,  Skadi,  the  daughter 
of  a  giant 

"Every  one  will  be  beautifully  dressed,"  said 
Freyja,  "and  /  have  not  a  single  ornament  to 
wear." 

"But  you  are  more  beautiful  than  any  one, 
Freyja,"  said  her  husband;  "for  you  were  born 
in  the  spacious  Wind-Home." 

"All  are  not  so  high-minded  as  you,  Odur," 
answered  his  wife ;  "  and  if  I  go  to  Valhalla  with- 
out an  ornament  of  any  kind  I  shall  certainly 
be  looked  down  upon."  . 

So  saying,  Freyja  set  off,  as  I  told  you,  to 
Alfheim,  determined  to  ask  of  her  good-natured 
brother  a  garland  of  flowers  at  least.  But 
somehow  or  other  she  could  not  find  Frey  any- 
where. She  tried  to  keep  in  Alfheim— she 
thought  she  was  there;  but  all  the  time  she  was 
thinking  of  her  dress  and  her  ornaments,  planning 


173  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

what  she  should  wear,  and  her  steps  went  down- 
ward, downward,  away  from  Alfheim  to  the  cavern 
of  four  dwarfs. 

"Where  am  I?"  said  Freyja  to  herself,  as  she 
at  last  lost  the  light  of  day,  and  went  down,  wan- 
dering on  deeper  and  deeper  between  the  high 
walls,  and  under  the  firm  roof  of  rock.  "Why, 
surely  this  must  be  Svartheim;  and  yet  it  is  not 
unpleasant,  nor  quite  dark  here,  though  the  sun 
is  not  shining." 

And  in  truth  it  was  not  dark ;  for,  far  on  before 
her,  winding  in  and  out  through  the  cavern's  inner- 
most recesses,  were  groups  of  little  men,  who  had 
each  a  lantern  in  his  cap  and  a  pickaxe  in  his 
hand;  and  they  were  working  hard,  digging  for 
diamonds,  which  they  piled  up  the  walls,  and  hung 
across  the  roof  in  white  and  rose-coloured  coronets, 
marvellously  glittering. 

Four  clever  little  dwarf-chiefs  were  there  directing 
the  labours  of  the  rest;  but,  as  soon  as  they  caught 
sight  of  Freyja,  they  sat  down  in  the  centre  of 
the  cavern,  and  began  to  work  diligently  at  some- 
thing which  they  held  between  them,  bending  over 


FREYJA  IN  THE  DWARFS*  CAVE. 


Page  172. 


THE  WANDERINGS  OF  FREYJA.  i;3 

it  with  strange  chattering  and  grimaces.  Freyja 
felt  very  curious  to  see  what  it  was ;  but  her  eyes 
were  so  dazzled  with  the  blaze  of  diamonds  and 
lanterns,  that  she  was  obliged  to  go  nearer  in 
order  to  distinguish  it  clearly.  Accordingly,  she 
walked  on  to  where  the  four  dwarfs  were  sitting, 
and  peeped  over  their  shoulders.  Ohl  brilliant! 
exquisitely  worked!  bewildering! 

Freyja  drew  back  again  with  almost  blinded 
eyes;  for  she  had  looked  upon  the  necklace  Bri- 
singamen,  and  at  the  same  moment  a  passionate 
wish  burst  forth  in  her  heart  to  have  it  for  her 
own,  to  wear  it  in  Valhalla,  to  wear  it  always 
round  her  own  fair  neck.  "Life  to  me,"  said 
Freyja,  "is  no  longer  worth  having  without  Bri- 
singamen."  Then  the  dwarfs  held  it  out  to  her, 
but  also  looked  cunningly  at  one  another  as  they 
did  so,  and  burst  into  a  laugh  so  loud  that  it 
rang  through  the  vaulted  caverns,  echoed  and 
echoed  back  again  from  side  to  side,  from  dwarf 
to  dwarf,  from  depth  to  depth. 

Freyja,  however,  only  turned  her  head  a  little 
on  one  side,  stretched  out  her  hand,  grasped  the 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


necklace  with  her  small  fingers,  and  then  ran  out 
of  the  cavern  as  quickly  as  ever  she  could,  up 
again  to  the  green  hill-side.  There  she  sat  down  and 
fitted  the  brilliant  ornament  about  her  neck,  after 
which  she  looked  a  little  shyly  at  the  reflection 
of  herself  in  a  still  pool  that  was  near,  and  turned 
homewards  with  an  exulting  heart.  She  felt  cer- 
tain that  all  was  well  with  her;  nevertheless,  all 
was  not  well,  but  very  miserable  indeed.  When 
Freyja  was  come  back  to  Asgard  again,  and  to  her 
palace  of  Folkvang,  she  sought  her  own  private 
apartments,  that  she  might  see  Odur  alone,  and 
make  him  admire  her  necklace  Brisingamen.  But 
Odur  was  not  there.  She  searched  in  every 
room,  hither  and  thither  ;  but  alas  1  he  was  not 
to  be  found  in  any  room  or  any  hall  in  all  the 
palace  of  Folkvang.  Freyja  searched  for  him  in 
every  place;  she  walked  restlessly  about,  in  and 
out,  among  the  places  of  the  "Roomy  Seated." 
She  peered  wistfully,  with  sad  eyes,  in  the  face 
of  every  guest  ;  but  the  only  face  she  cared  to  see, 
she  never  saw. 

Odur  was  gone,  gone  back  for  ever  to  the  home 


THE  WANDERINGS  OF  FREYJA.  175 

of  the  Immortals.  Brisingamen  and  Odur  could 
not  live  together  in  the  palace  of  Folkvang.  But 
Freyja  did  not  know  this;  she  did  not  know  why 
Odur  was  gone,  nor  where  he  was  gone;  she  only 
saw  he  was  not  there,  and  she  wrung  her  hands 
sadly,  and  watered  her  jewels  with  salt,  warm 
tears. 

As  she  sat  thus  and  mourned  in  the  entrance 
of  her  palace,  all  the  ladies  of  Asgard  passed 
by  on  their  way  to  Valhalla,  and  looked  at  her. 
Some  said  one  thing,  some  another;  but  no  one 
said  anything  at  all  encouraging,  or  much  to  the 
purpose.  Frigga  passed  by  last  of  all,  and  she 
raised  her  head  with  a  little  severe  shake,  saying 
something  about  beauty,  and  pride,  and  punish- 
ment, which  sank  down  so  deeply  into  the  heart  of 
the  sorrow-stricken  young  Vana  that  she  got  up 
with  a  desperate  resolution,  and,  presenting  herself 
before  the  throne  of  Asa  Odin,  spoke  to  him  thus : 
"Father  of  ^Esir,  listen  to  my  weeping,  and  do 
not  turn  away  from  me  with  a  cruel  frown.  I 
have  searched  through  my  palace  of  Folkvang,  and 
ail  through  the  city  of  Asgard,  but  nowhere  is  Odir 


176  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

the  Immortal  to  be  found.  Let  me  go,  Father  Odin, 
I  beseech  you,  and  seek  him  far  and  near,  across 
the  earth,  through  the  air,  over  the  sea,  even  to  the 
borders  of  Jotunheim." 

And  Odin  answered,  "Go,  Freyja,  and  good 
fortune  go  with  you." 

Then  Freyja  sprang  into  her  swift,  softly-rolling 
chariot,  which  was  drawn  by  two  cats,  waved  her 
hand  as  she  rose  over  the  city,  and  was  gone. 


THE  WANDERINGS  OF  FREYJA. 


PART  IL 

LOKI — THE   IRON  WOOD — A   BOUNDLESS  WASTE. 

THE  cats  champed  their  bright  bits,  and  skimmed 
alike  over  earth  and  air  with  swift,  clinging  steps, 
eager  and  noiseless.  The  chariot  rolled  on,  and 
Freyja  was  carried  away  up  and  down  into  every 
part  of  the  world,  weeping  golden  tears  wherever 
she  went;  they  fell  down  from  her  pale  cheeks, 
and  rippled  away  behind  her  in  little  sunshiny 
rivers,  that  carried  beauty  and  weeping  to  every 
land.  She  came  to  the  greatest  city  in  the 
world,  and  drove  down  its  wide  streets. 

"But  none  of  the  houses  here  are  good  enough 
for  Odur,"  said  Freyja  to  herself;  "  I  will  not 
ask  for  him  at  such  doors  as  these." 


178  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

So  she  went  straight  on  to  the  palace  of  the 
king. 

"Is  Odur  in  this  palace?"  she  asked  of  the  gate- 
keeper. "Is  Odur,  the  Immortal,  living  with 
the  king?" 

But  the  gate-keeper  shook  his  head,  and  assured  her 
that  his  master  had  never  even  heard  of  such  a  person. 

"Then  Freyja  turned  away,  and  knocked  at 
many  other  stately  doors,  asking  for  Odur;  but 
no  one  in  all  that  great  city  so  much  as  knew 
her  husband's  name. 

Then  Freyja  went  into  the  long,  narrow  lanes 
and  shabby  streets,  where  the  poor  people  lived, 
but  there  it  was  all  the  same;  every  one  said 
only,  "No — not  here,"  and  stared  at  her. 

In  the  night-time  Freyja  went  quite  away  from 
the  city,  and  the  lanes,  and  the  cottages,  far 
off  to  the  side  of  a  lake,  where  she  lay  down 
and  looked  over  into  the  water. 

By-and-bye  the  moon  came  and  looked  there 
too,  and  the  Queen  of  Night  saw  a  calm  face  in 
the  water,  serene  and  high;  but  the  Queen  of 
Beauty  saw  a  troubled  face,  frail  and  fair. 


THE   WANDERINGS  OF  FREYJA.  179 

Brisingamen  was  reflected  in  the  water  too, 
and  its  rare  colours  flashed  from  the  little  waves. 
Freyja  was  pleased  at  the  sight  of  her  favourite 
ornament,  and  smiled  even  in  the  midst  of  her 
tears;  but  as  for  the  moon,  instead  of  Bri- 
singamen, the  deep  sky  and  the  stars  were 
around  her. 

At  last  Freyja  slept  by  the  side  of  the  lake, 
and  then  a  dark  shape  crept  up  the  bank  on 
which  she  was  lying,  sat  down  beside  her,  and 
took  her  fair  head  between  its  hands.  It  was 
Loki,  and  he  began  to  whisper  into  Freyja's  ear 
as  she  slept 

"You  were  quite  right,  Freyja,  "he  said,  "to  go 
out  and  try  to  get  something  for  yourself  in 
Svartheim,  instead  of  staying  at  home  with  your 
husband.  It  was  very  wise  of  you  to  care  more 
for  your  dress  and  your  beauty  than  for  Odur.  You 
went  down  into  Svartheim,  and  found  Brisingamen. 
Then  the  Immortal  went  away;  but  is  not  Bri- 
singamen better  then  he?  Why  do  you  cry, 
Freyja?  Why  do  you  start  so  ?" 

Freyja    turned,    moaning,    and  tried    to  lift   her 


i8o  TH&  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

head  from  between  his  hands;  but  she  could  not, 
and  it  seemed  in  her  dream  as  if  a  terrible  night- 
mare brooded  over  her. 

"Erisingamen  is  dragging  me  down,"  she  cried 
in  her  sleep,  and  laid  her  little  hand  upon  the 
clasp  without  knowing  what  she  was  doing. 

Then  a  great  laugh  burst  forth  in  Svartheim, 
and  came  shuddering  up  through  the  vaulted 
caverns  until  it  shook  the  ground  upon  which  she 
lay.  Loki  started  up,  and  was  gone  before 
Freyja  had  time  to  open  her  eyes. 

It  was  morning,  and  the  young  Vana  prepared 
to  set  out  on  her  journey. 

"Brisingamen  is  fair,"  she  said,  as  she  bade 
farewell  to  her  image  in  the  lake.  "Brisingamen 
is  fair;  but  I  find  it  heavy  sometimes." 

After  this,  Freyja  went  to  many  cities,  and 
towns,  and  villages,  asking  everywhere  for  Odur; 
but  there  was  not  one  in  all  the  world  who 
could  tell  her  where  he  was  gone,  and  at  last 
her  chariot  rolled  eastward  and  northward  to  the 
very  borders  of  Jotunheim.  There  Freyja  stopped ; 
for  before  her  lay  Jarnvid,  the  Iron  Wood,  which 


THE  WANDERINGS  OF  FREYJA.  X8i 

was  one  road  from  earth  to  the  abode  of  the  giants, 
and  whose  tall  trees,  black  and  hard,  were  trying 
to  pull  down  the  sky  with  their  iron  claws.  In 
the  entrance  sat  an  Iron  Witch,  with  her  back 
to  the  forest  and  her  face  towards  the  Vana 
Jarnvid  was  full  of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  this 
Iron  Witch;  they  were  wolves,  and  bears,  and 
foxes,  and  many-headed  ravenous  birds. 

"Eastward,"  croaked    a  raven    as    Freyja    drew 
near — 

••  Eastward  in  the  Iron  Wood 
The  old  one  sitteth  ;* 

and  there  she  did  sit,  talking  in  quarrelsome  tones 
to  her  wolf-sons  and  vulture-daughters,  who  an- 
swered from  the  wood  behind  her,  howling,  screech- 
ing, and  screaming  all  at  the  same  time.  There 
was  a  horrible  din,  and  Freyja  began  to  fear  that 
her  low  voice  would  never  be  heard.  She  was 
obliged  to  get  out  of  her  chariot,  and  walk  close 
up  to  the  old  witch,  so  that  she  might  whisper 
in  her  ear. 

"Can  you  tell  me,  old  mother,"  she  said,  "where 
Odur  is  ?    Have  you  seen  him  pass  this  way  ?  " 


182       THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

"I  don't  understand  one  word  of  what  you  are 
saying,"  answered  the  iron  woman ;  "  and  if  I  did, 
I  have  no  time  to  waste  in  answering  foolish 
questions." 

Now,  the  witch's  words  struck  like  daggers  into 
Freyja's  heart,  and  she  was  not  strong  enough  to 
pull  them  out  again;  so  she  stood  there  a  long 
time,  not  knowing  what  she  should  do. 

"You  had  better  go,"  said  the  crone  to  her  at 
last;  "there's  no  use  in  standing  there  crying." 
For  this  was  the  grandmother  of  strong-minded 
women,  and  she  hated  tears. 

Then  Freyja  got  into  her  chariot  again,  and 
went  westward  a  long  way  to  the  wide,  boundless 
land  where  impenetrable  forests  were  growing,  and 
undying  nature  reigned  in  silence.  She  knew  that 
the  silent  Vidar  was  living  there;  for,  not  finding 
any  pleasure  in  the  gay  society  of  Asgard,  he  had 
obtained  permission  from  Father  Odin  to  retire 
to  this  place.  "He  is  one  of  the  ^Esir,  and  per- 
haps he  will  be  able  to  help  me,"  said  the  sad- 
hearted  young  Vana,  as  her  chariot  rolled  on  through 
empty  moor-lands  and  forests,  always  in  twilight 


THE  WANDERINGS  OF  FREYJA.  ^3 

Her  ear  heard  no  sound,  her  eye  saw  no  living 
shape ;  but  still  she  went  on  with  a  trembling 
hope  till  she  came  to  the  spot 

"  Begrown  with  branches 
And  high  grass, 
Which  was  Vidar's  dwelling." 

Vidar  was  sitting  there  firm  as  an  oak,  and  as 
silent  as  night  Long  grass  grew  up  through 
his  long  hau:,  and  the  branches  of  trees  crossed 
each  other  over  his  eyes;  his  ears  were  covered 
with  moss,  and  dewdrops  glistened  upon  his 
beard. 

"It  is  almost  impossible  to  get  to  him,"  sighed 
Freyja,  "through  all  these  wet  leaves,  and  I  am 
afraid  his  moss-covered  ears  are  very  deaf.'1  But 
she  threw  herself  down  on  the  ground  before  him, 
and  said,  "  Tell  me,  Vidar,  does  Odur  hide  among 
thick  trees?  or  is  he  wandering  over  the  broad 
west  lands?" 

Vidar  did  not  answer  her — only  a  pale  gleam  shot 
over  his  face,  as  if  reflected  from  that  of  Freyja, 
like  sunshine  breaking  through  a  wood 

"He  does  not  hear  me,"  said  Freyja  to  herself; 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


and  she  crushed  nearer  to  him  through  the 
branches.  "Only  tell  me,  Vidar,"  she  said,  "is 
Odur  here?"  But  Vidar  said  nothing,  for  he  had 
no  voice. 

Then  Freyja  hid  her  face  in  her  lap,  and  wept 
bitterly  for  a  long  time.  "An  Asa,"  she  said,  at 
last,  looking  up,  "is  no  better  to  one  than  an 
Iron  Witch  when  one  is  really  in  trouble;"  and 
then  she  gathered  her  disordered  dress  about  her, 
threw  back  her  long  bright  hair,  and,  springing 
into  her  chariot,  once  again  went  wearily  on  her 
wmy. 


THE  WANDERINGS  OF  FREYJA.  ,85 


PART  IIL 

THE  KING  OP  THE  SEA  AND   HIS  DAUGHTERS. 

AT  last  she  came  to  the  wide  sea-coast,  and 
there  everything  was  gloriously  beautiful.  It  was 
evening,  and  the  western  sky  looked  like  a  broad 
crimson  flower.  No  wind  stirred  the  ocean,  but 
the  small  waves  rippled  in  rose-coloured  froth  on 
the  shore,  like  the  smiles  of  a  giant  at  play. 

^Egir,  the  old  sea-king,  supported  himself  on 
the  sand,  whilst  the  cool  waters  were  laving  his 
breast,  and  his  ears  drank  their  sweet  murmur;  for 
nine  waves  were  his  beautiful  daughters,  and  they 
and  their  father  were  talking  together.  Now, 
though  ^Egir  looked  so  stormy  and  old,  he  was 
really  as  gentle  as  a  child,  and  no  mischief  would 


186  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

ever  have  happened  in  his  kingdom  if  he  had 
been  left  to  himself.  But  he  had  a  cruel  wife, 
called  Ran,  who  was  the  daughter  of  a  giant, 
and  so  eagerly  fond  of  fishing  that,  whenever 
any  of  the  rough  winds  came  to  call  upon  her 
husband,  she  used  to  steal  out  of  the  deep  sea- 
caves  where  she  lived,  and  follow  ships  for  miles 
under  the  water,  dragging  her  net  after  her,  so 
that  she  might  catch  any  one  who  fell  over- 
board. 

Freyja  wandered  along  the  shore  towards  the 
place  where  the  Sea  King  was  lying,  and  as  she 
went  she  heard  him  speaking  to  his  daughters. 

"What  is  the  history  of  Freyja?"  he  asked. 

And  the  first  wave  answered, — 

"Freyja  is  a  fair  young  Vana,  who  once  was 
happy  in  Asgard. " 

Then  the  second  wave  said, — 

"But  she  left  her  fair  palace  there,  and  Odur, 
her  Immortal  Love." 

Third  wave, — 

"  She  went  down  to  the  cavern  of  dwarfs." 

Fourth  wave, — 


THE  WANDERINGS  OF  FREYJA. 


"She  found  Brisingamen  there,  and  carried  it 
away  with  her." 

Fifth  wave,  — 

"  But  when  she  got  back  to  Folkvang  she  found 
that  Odur  was  gone." 

Sixth  wave,  — 

"Because  the  Vana  had  loved  herself  more 
than  Immortal  Love." 

Seventh  wave,  — 

"Freyja  will  never  be  happy  again,  for  Odur 
will  never  come  back." 

Eighth  wave,  — 

"Odur  will  never  come  back  as  long  as  the 
world  shall  last" 

Ninth  wave,  — 

"Odur  will  never  return,  nor  Freyja  forget 
to  weep." 

Freyja  stood  still,  spell-bound,  listening,  and 
when  she  heard  the  last  words,  that  Odur  would 
never  come  back,  she  wrung  her  hands,  and 
cried,  — 

"  O,  Father  ^Egir  !  trouble  comes,  comes  surging 
up  from  a  wide  sea,  wave  over  wave,  into  my  souLH 


!88  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

And  in  truth  it  seemed  as  if  her  words  had  power 
to  change  the  whole  surface  of  the  ocean — wave 
over  wave  rose  higher  and  spoke  louder — Ran 
was  seen  dragging  her  net  in  the  distance — old 
^gir  shouted,  and  dashed  into  the  deep — sea 
and  sky  mixed  in  confusion,  and  night  fell  upon 
the  storm.  Then  Freyja  sank  down  exhausted 
on  the  sand,  where  she  lay  until  her  kind  daughter, 
the  sleepy  little  Siofna,  came  and  carried  her  home 
again  in  her  arms.  After  this  the  beautiful  Vana 
lived  in  her  palace  of  Folkvang,  with  friends  and 
sisters,  ^Esir  and  Asyniur,  but  Odur  did  not  return, 
nor  Freyja  forget  to  weep. 


Freyja,  as  she  appears  in  the  Edda,  was  the 
goddess  of  the  beautiful  year  and  of  all  sorts  of 
love.  The  story  of  her  marriage  with  Odur  is 
extremely  obscure ;  it  is  even  thought  that  Odur 
is  only  a  form  of  Odin,  and,  in  like  manner,  that 
Freyja  and  Frigga  are  very  intimately  connected. 

Frig^a  was  the  patroness  of  married  love,  of  the 
happiness  and  duties  of  the  home  (originally,  she 


THE  WANDERINGS  OF  FREYJA.  189 

and  Freyja  and  all  the  great  goddesses  were  probably 
personifications  of  the  earth) ;  but  Freyja,  as  goddess 
of  love,  is  less  developed  in  idea  than  Frigga,  she 
has  more  of  the  nature  goddess,  less  of  the  woman 
in  her.  She  was  said  to  divide  the  spoil  with  Odin 
in  battle,  taking  half  the  slain  for  herself  and  leaving 
him  the  other  half,  which  points  to  her  having 
been  at  one  time  his  wife  and  sharing  all  with  him. 
Supposing  her  to  have  been  the  beautiful  year,  or 
rather  the  earth  during  the  beautiful  part  of  the 
year,  Odur  leaving  her  would  imply  the  beginning 
of  the  shortening  of  the  days  at  midsummer.  The 
source  of  summer  flies,  Summer  seeks  him  weeping 
golden  tears.  Do  these  mean  Autumn's  golden 
leaves  and  falling  fruits?  or  that  the  Sun's  beautiful 
gifts  must  ever  follow  him. 

This  myth  of  Summer's  source,  the  Sun,  declining 
from  the  year  has,  it  is  supposed,  been  given  to 
Odur  because  it  was  not  important  enough  to  belong 
to  the  greatest  of  the  gods,  although  it  was  really 
wrapped  up  in  his  nature,  and  the  names  Odur  and 
Odin  are  identical  in  German.  Simrock  says, 
"Every  mythology  tells  us  of  the  death  of  the 


190 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


beautiful  part  of  the  year  like  the  flight  of  a  god, 
who  is  mourned  by  his  wife  or  his  beloved." 
Looked  at  from  this  point  of  view,  we  see  the 
summerly  earth  vaunting  and  decking  herself  with 
her  richest  jewels  in  the  deepest  pride  of  her  delight 
at  the  very  moment  when  the  spirit  of  her  existence 
is  stealing  away  from  her.  The  summer  -  decked 
earth,  without  the  sun  of  her  life,  is  soulless,  has 
become  mortal.  But  it  must  be  confessed  that  the 
Edda  is  very  obscure  about  Brisingamen,  and  does 
not  mention  the  necklace  in  connection  with  Odur*s 
departure.  The  Iron  Witch  was  the  mother  of  two 
wolves  who  devoured  the  sun  and  the  moon  at 
Ragnarok,  she  is  not  mentioned  in  the  myth  of 
Freyja,  but  in  another  lay.  It  has  been  suggested 
that  Freyja's  tears  may  be  dew,  and  she  in  the 
character  of  Aurora  when  she  sheds  them,  weeping 
for  some  star  god  of  the  night 

We  shall  now  hear  the  story  of  Iduna — a  dwarfs 
daughter,  the  wife  of  Bragi  and  goddess  of  Spring, 
the  renewing  of  life. 


IDUNA  S  APPLES. 


191 


CHAPTER  V. 
IDUNA'S   APPLES. 

PART    L 

REFLECTIONS   IN  THE  WATER 

OF  all  the  groves  and  gardens  round  the  city  of 
Asgard — and  they  were  many  and  beautiful — there 
was  none  so  beautiful  as  the  one  where  Iduna, 
the  wife  of  Bragi,  lived.  It  stood  on  the  south 
side  of  the  hill,  not  far  from  Gladsheim,  and  it  was 
called  "Always  Young,"  because  nothing  that  grew 
there  could  ever  decay,  or  become  the  least  bit 
older  than  it  was  on  the  day  when  Iduna  entered 
it  The  trees  wore  always  a  tender,  light  green 
colour,  as  the  hedges  do  in  spring.  The  flowers 


ig2  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


were  mostly  half-opened,  and  every  blade  of  grass 
bore  always  a  trembling,  glittering  drop  of  early 
dew.  Brisk  little  winds  wandered  about  the  grove, 
making  the  leaves  dance  from  morning  till  night 
and  swaying  backwards  and  forwards  the  heads  of 
the  flowers. 

"  Blow  away  1 "  said  the  leaves  to  the  wind,  "  for 
we  shall  never  be  tired." 

"And  you  will  never  be  old,n  said  the  winds 
in  answer.  And  then  the  birds  took  up  the  chorus 
and  sang, — 

"Never  tired  and  never  old." 

Iduna,  the  mistress  of  the  grove,  was  fit  to  live 
among  young  birds,  and  tender  leaves,  and  spring 
flowers.  She  was  so  fair  that  when  she  bent  over 
the  river  to  entice  her  swans  to  come  to  her,  even 
the  stupid  fish  stood  still  in  the  water,  afraid  to 
destroy  so  beautiful  an  image  by  swimming  over 
it;  and  when  she  held  out  her  hand  with  bread 
for  the  swans  to  eat,  you  would  not  have  known 
it  from  a  water-lily — it  was  so  wonderfully  white. 

Iduna  never  left  her  grove  even  to  pay  a  visit 
to  her  nearest  neighbour,  and  yet  she  did  not 


WUNA'S  APPLES. 


lead  by  any  means  a  dull  life;  for,  besides  having 
the  company  of  her  husband,  Bragi,  who  must  have 
been  an  entertaining  person  to  live  with;  for  he 
is  said  to  have  known  a  story  which  never  came 
to  an  end,  and  yet  which  never  grew  wearisome. 
All  the  heroes  of  Asgard  made  a  point  of  coming 
to  call  upon  her  every  day.  It  was  natural  enough 
that  they  should  like  to  visit  so  beautiful  a  grove 
and  so  fair  a  lady;  and  yet,  to  confess  the  truth, 
it  was  not  quite  to  see  either  the  grove  or  Iduna 
that  they  came. 

Iduna  herself  was  well  aware  of  this,  and 
when  her  visitors  had  chatted  a  short  time  with 
her,  she  never  failed  to  bring  out  from  the 
innermost  recess  of  her  bower  a  certain  golden 
casket,  and  to  request,  as  a  favour,  that  her 
guests  would  not  think  of  going  away  till  they 
had  tasted  her  apples,  which,  she  flattered  her- 
self, had  a  better  flavour  than  any  other  fruit  in 
the  world. 

It  would  have  been  quite  unlike  a  hero  of 
Asgard  to  have  refused  such  courtesy;  and,  be- 
sides, Iduna  was  not  as  far  wrong  about  her 


194 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


apples  as  hostesses  generally  are,  when  they 
boast  of  the  good  things  on  their  tables. 

There  is  no  doubt  her  apples  had  a  peculiar 
flavour;  and  if  any  one  of  the  heroes  happened 
to  be  a  little  tired,  or  a  little  out  of  spirits, 
or  a  little  cross,  when  he  came  into  the  bower, 
it  always  followed  that,  as  soon  as  he  had 
eaten  one  apple,  he  found  himself  as  fresh,  and 
vigorous,  and  happy  as  he  had  ever  been  in 
his  life. 

So  fond  were  the  heroes  of  these  apples,  and 
so  necessary  did  they  think  them  to  their  daily 
comfort,  that  they  never  went  on  a  journey  with- 
out requesting  Iduna  to  give  them  one  or  two, 
to  fortify  them  against  the  fatigues  of  the  way. 

Iduna  had  no  difficulty  in  complying  with  this 
request;  she  had  no  fear  of  her  store  ever  failing. 
for  as  surely  as  she  took  an  apple  from  her 
casket  another  fell  in;  but  where  it  came  from 
Iduna  could  never  discover.  She  never  saw  it 
till  it  was  close  to  the  bottom  of  the  casket;  but 
she  always  heard  the  sweet  tinkling  sound  it 
made  when  it  touched  the  golden  rim.  It  was 


IDUNA  GIVING  THE  MAGIC  APPLES. 


Page  195. 


IDUNA'S  APPLES. 


195 


as  good  as  play  to  Iduna  to  stand  by  her  casket, 
taking  the  apples  out,  and  watching  the  fresh 
rosy  ones  come  tumbling  in,  without  knowing 
who  threw  them. 

One  spring  morning  Iduna  was  very  busy  taking 
apples  out  of  her  casket ;  for  several  of  the  heroes 
were  taking  advantage  of  the  fine  weather  to  journey 
out  into  the  world.  Bragi  was  going  from  home 
for  a  time;  perhaps  he  was  tired  of  telling  his 
story  only  to  Iduna,  and  perhaps  she  was  beginning 
to  know  it  by  heart;  and  Odin,  Loki,  and  Hoenir 
had  agreed  to  take  a  little  tour  in  the  direction 
of  Jotunheim,  just  to  see  if  any  entertaining  ad- 
venture would  befall  them.  When  they  had  all 
received  their  apples,  and  taken  a  tender  farewell 
of  Iduna,  the  grove — green  and  fair  as  it  was 
— looked,  perhaps,  a  little  solitary. 

Iduna  stood  by  her  fountain,  watching  the  bright 
water  as  it  danced  up  into  the  air  and  quivered, 
and  turned,  and  fell  back,  making  a  hundred 
little  flashing  circles  in  the  river;  and  then  she 
grew  tired,  for  once,  of  the  li^ht  and  the  noise, 
and  wandered  down  to  a  still  place,  where  the 


196  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

river  was  shaded  by  low  bushes  on  each  side,  and 
reflected  clearly  the  blue  sky  overhead. 

Iduna  sat  down  and  looked  into  the  deep  water. 
Besides  her  own  fair  face  there  were  little,  wander- 
ing, white  clouds  to  be  seen  reflected  there.  She 
counted  them  as  they  sailed  past.  At  length  a 
strange  form  was  reflected  up  to  her  from  the 
water — large,  dark,  lowering  wings,  pointed  claws, 
a  head  with  fierce  eyes — looking  at  her. 

Iduna  started  and  raised  her  head.  It  was  above 
as  well  as  below;  the  same  wings — the  same  eyes 
— the  same  head — looking  down  from  the  blue 
sky,  as  well  as  up  from  the  water.  Such  a  sight 
had  never  been  seen  near  Asgard  before;  and, 
while  Iduna  looked,  th«  thing  waved  its  wings, 
and  went  up,  up,  up,  till  it  lessened  to  a  dark  spot 
in  the  clouds  and  on  the  river. 

It  was  no  longer  terrible  to  look  at;  but,  as  it 
shook  its  wings  a  number  of  little  black  feathers 
fell  from  them,  and  flew  down  towards  the  grove. 
As  they  neared  the  trees,  they  no  longer  looked 
like  feathers — each  had  two  independent  wings  and 
a  head  of  its  own;  they  were,  in  fact,  a  swarm  of 


IDUNA  S  APPLES. 


197 


Nervous  Apprehensions;  troublesome  little  insects 
enough,  and  well-known  elsewhere,  but  which  now, 
for  the  first  time,  found  their  way  into  the  grove. 

Iduna  ran  away  from  them;  she  shook  them 
off;  she  fought  quite  bravely  against  them;  but 
they  are  by  no  means  easy  to  get  rid  of;  and 
when,  at  last,  one  crept  within  the  folds  of  her 
dress,  and  twisted  itself  down  to  her  heart,  a  new, 
strange  feeling  thrilled  there — a  feeling  never  yet 
known  to  any  dweller  in  Asgard.  Iduna  did  not 
know  what  to  make  of  it 


198       THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


PARTH. 

THE   WINGED-GIANT. 

IN  the  meantime  Odin,  Loki,  and  Hcenir  pro- 
ceeded on  their  journey.  They  were  not  bound 
on  any  particular  quest  They  strayed  hither  and 
thither  that  Odin  might  see  that  things  were  going 
on  well  in  the  world,  and  his  subjects  comporting 
themselves  in  a  becoming  manner.  Every  now 
and  then  they  halted  while  Odin  inspected  the 
thatching  of  a  barn,  or  stood  at  the  smithy  to  see 
how  the  smith  wielded  his  hammer,  or  in  a  furrow 
to  observe  if  the  ploughman  guided  his  plough- 
share evenly  through  the  soil.  "Well  done,"  he 
said  if  the  workman  was  working  with  all  hit 
might;  and  he  turned  away,  leaving  something 


IDUNA  'S  APPLES. 


behind  him,  a  straw  in  the  barn,  a  piece  of  old 
iron  at  the  forge-door,  a  grain  in  the  furrow — nothing 
to  look  at ;  but  ever  after  the  barn  was  always  full, 
the  forge-fire  never  went  out,  the  field  yielded 
bountifully. 

Towards  noon  the  JEsir  reached  a  shady  valley, 
and,  feeling  tired  and  hungry,  Odin  proposed  to 
sit  down  under  a  tree,  and  while  he  rested  and 
studied  a  book  of  runes  which  he  had  with  him, 
he  requested  Loki  and  Hoenir  to  prepare  some 
dinner. 

"I  will  undertake  the  meat  and  the  fire,"  said 
Hoenir;  "you,  Loki,  will  like  nothing  better  than 
foraging  about  for  what  good  things  you  can  pick  up." 

"That  is  precisely  what  I  mean  to  do,"  said 
Loki.  "There  is  a  farm-house  near  here,  from 
which  I  can  perceive  a  savoury  smell.  It  will  be 
strange,  with  my  cunning,  if  I  do  not  contrive  to 
have  the  best  of  all  the  dishes  under  this  tree 
before  your  fire  is  burnt  up." 

As  Loki  spoke  he  turned  a  stone  in  his  hand, 
and  immediately  he  assumed  the  shape  of  a  large 
black  cat  In  this  form  he  stole  in  at  the  kitchen- 


too       THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

window  of  a  farm-house,  where  a  busy  housewife 
was  intent  on  taking  pies  and  cakes  from  a  deep 
oven,  and  ranging  them  on  a  dresser  under  the 
window.  Loki  watched  his  opportunity,  and  when- 
ever the  mistress's  back  was  turned  he  whisked  a 
cake  or  a  pie  out  of  the  window. 

"One,  two,  three.  Why,  there  are  fewer  every 
time  I  bring  a  fresh  one  from  the  oven  !"  cried 
the  bewildered  housewife.  "It's  that  thieving 
cat  I  see  the  end  of  her  tail  on  the  window-sill." 
Out  of  the  window  leant  the  housewife  to  throw 
a  stone  at  the  cat,  but  she  could  see  nothing  but 
a  thin  cow  trespassing  in  her  garden;  and  when 
she  ran  out  with  a  stick  to  drive  away  the  cow, 
it,  too,  had  vanished,  and  an  old  raven,  with  six 
young  ones,  was  flying  over  the  garden-hedge. 

The  raven  was  Loki,  the  little  ones  were  the 
pies ;  and  when  he  reached  the  valley,  and  changed 
himself  and  them  into  their  proper  shapes,  he  had 
a  hearty  laugh  at  >us  own  cleverness,  and  at  the 
old  woman's  dismay. 

"  Well  done,  Loki,  king  of  thieves,"  said  a  chorus 
of  foxes,  who  peeped  out  of  their  holes  to  see  the 


IDUNAS  APPLES. 


only  one  of  the  ^Esir  whose  conduct  they  could 
appreciate;  but  Odin,  when  he  heard  of  it,  was 
very  far  from  thinking  it  well  done.  He  was 
extremely  displeased  with  Loki  for  having  disgraced 
himself  by  such  mean  tricks. 

"It  is  true/'  he  said,  "that  my  subjects  may 
well  be  glad  to  furnish  me  with  all  I  require,  but 
it  should  be  done  knowingly.  Return  to  the  farm- 
house, and  place  these  three  black  stones  on  the 
table  from  whence  you  stole  the  provisions." 

Loki  —  unwilling  as  he  was  to  do  anything  he 
believed  likely  to  bring  good  to  others  —  was  obliged 
to  obey.  He  made  himself  into  the  shape  of  a 
white  owl,  flew  once  more  through  the  window, 
and  dropped  the  stones  out  of  his  beak;  they 
sank  deep  into  the  table,  and  looked  like  three 
black  stains  on  the  white  deal-board. 

From  that  time  the  housewife  led  an  easy  life; 
there  was  no  need  for  her  to  grind  corn,  or 
mix  dough,  or  prepare  meat  Let  her  enter  hei 
kitchen  at  what  time  of  day  she  would,  stores 
of  provisions  stood  smoking  hot  on  the  table.  She 

kept  her  own    counsel   about  it,  and  enjoyed  the 
o 


102  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

reputation  of  being  the  most  economical  house- 
keeper in  the  whole  country-side;  but  one  thing 
disturbed  her  mind,  and  prevented  her  thoroughly 
enjoying  the  envy  and  wonder  of  the  neighbouring 
wives.  All  the  rubbing,  and  brushing,  and  clean- 
ing in  the  world  would  not  remove  the  three 
black  stains  from  her  kitchen  table,  and  as  she 
had  no  cooking  to  do,  she  spent  the  greater  part 
of  her  time  in  looking  at  them. 

"If  they  were  but  gone,"  she  said,  a  hundred 
times  every  day,  "I  should  be  content;  but  how 
is  one  to  enjoy  one's  life  when  one  cannot  rub 
the  stains  off  one's  own  table  ?  " 

Perhaps  Loki  foresaw  how  the  good  wife  would 
use  her  gift;  for  he  came  back  from  the  farm- 
house in  the  best  spirits.  "We  will  now,  with 
Father  Odin's  permission,  sit  down  to  dinner," 
he  said ;  "  for  surely,  brother  Hcenir,  while  I  have 
been  making  so  many  journeys  to  and  fro,  you 
have  been  doing  something  with  that  fire  which 
I  see  blazing  so  fiercely,  and  with  that  old  iron 
pot  smoking  over  it" 

"The    meat    will    be    by    this    time    ready,    no 


IDUNA'S  APPLES.  203 


doubt,"  said  Hcenir.  "  I  killed  a  wild  ox  while 
you  were  away,  and  part  of  it  has  been  now  for 
some  time  stewing  in  the  pot." 

The  -#Lsir  now  seated  themselves  near  the  fire, 
and  Hcenir  lifted  up  the  lid  of  the  pot.  A  thick 
steam  rose  up  from  it;  but  when  he  took  out 
the  meat  it  was  as  red  and  uncooked  as  when 
he  first  put  it  into  the  pot. 

"  Patience,"  said  Hcenir ;  and  Odin  again  took 
out  his  book  of  Runes.  Another  hour  passed,  and 
Hcenir  again  took  off  the  lid,  and  looked  at  the  meat; 
but  it  was  in  precisely  the  same  state  as  before. 
This  happened  several  times,  and  even  the  cun- 
ning Loki  was  puzzled;  when,  suddenly,  a  strange 
noise  was  heard  coming  from  a  tree  near,  and,  look- 
ing up,  they  saw  an  enormous  human-headed  eagle 
seated  on  one  of  the  branches,  and  looking  at  them 
with  two  fierce  eyes.  While  they  looked  it  spoke. 

"Give  me  my  share  of  the  feast,"  it  said,  "and 
the  meat  shall  presently  be  done." 

"  Come  down  and  take  it — it  lies  before  you," 
said  Loki,  while  Odin  looked  on  with  thoughtful 
eyes ;  for  he  saw  plainly  that  it  was  no  mortal 


204 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


bird  who  had  the  boldness  to  claim  a  share  in 
the  ^Esir's  food. 

Undaunted  by  Odin's  majestic  looks,  the  eagle 
flew  down,  and,  seizing  a  large  piece  of  meat,  was 
going  to  fly  away  with  it,  when  Loki,  thinking 
he  had  now  got  the  bird  in  his  power,  took  up  a 
stick  that  lay  near,  and  struck  a  hard  blow  on  the 
eagle's  back.  The  stick  made  a  ringing  sound  as 
it  fell;  but,  when  Loki  tried  to  draw  it  back,  he 
found  that  it  stuck  with  extraordinary  force  to  the 
eagle's  back;  neither  could  he  withdraw  his  own 
hands  from  the  other  end. 

Something  like  a  laugh  came  from  the  creature's 
half -human,  half  -  bird  -  like  mouth;  and  then  it 
spread  its  dark  wings  and  rose  up  into  the  air, 
dragging  Loki  after. 

"It  is  as  I  thought,"  said  Odin,  as  he  saw  the 
eagle's  enormous  bulk  brought  out  against  the 
sky;  "it  is  Thiassi,  the  strongest  giant  in  Jotun- 
heim,  who  has  presumed  to  show  himself  in  our 
presence.  Loki  has  only  received  the  reward  of 
his  treachery,  and  it  would  ill-become  us  to  inter- 
fere in  his  behalf;  but,  as  the  monster  is  near, 


IDUNAS  APPLES.  205 


it  will  be  well  for  us  to  return  to  Asgard,  lest  any 
misfortune  should  befall  the  city  in  our  absence." 

While  Odin  spoke,  the  winged  creature  had 
risen  up  so  high  as  to  be  invisible  even  to  the 
eyes  of  the  ^Esir;  and,  during  their  return  to 
Asgard,  he  did  not  again  appear  before  them ;  but, 
as  they  approached  the  gates  of  the  city,  they  were 
surprised  to  see  Loki  coming  to  meet  them.  He 
had  a  crest-fallen  and  bewildered  look;  and  when 
they  questioned  him  as  to  what  had  happened  to 
him  since  they  parted  in  such  a  strange  way,  he 
declared  himself  to  be  quite  unable  to  give  any 
further  account  of  his  adventures  than  that  he 
had  been  carried  rapidly  through  the  air  by  the 
giant,  and,  at  last,  thrown  down  from  a  great 
height  near  the  place  where  the  ^Esir  met  him. 

Odin  looked  steadfastly  at  him  as  he  spoke, 
but  he  forbore  to  question  him  further:  for  he 
knew  well  that  there  was  no  hope  of  hearing  the 
truth  from  Loki,  and  he  kept  within  his  own 
mind  the  conviction  he  felt  that  some  disastrous 
result  must  follow  a  meeting  between  two  such 
evil-doers  as  Loki  and  the  giant  Thiassi 


206  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

That  evening,  when  the  ^Esir  were  all  feasting 
and  telling  stories  to  each  other  in  the  great  hall 
of  Valhalla,  Loki  stole  out  from  Gladsheim,  and 
went  alone  to  visit  Iduna  in  her  grove.  It  was 
a  still,  bright  evening.  The  leaves  of  the  trees 
moved  softly  up  and  down,  whispering  sweet  words 
to  each  other;  the  flowers,  with  half-shut  eyes, 
nodded  sleepily  to  their  own  reflections  in  the 
water,  and  Iduna  sat  by  the  fountain,  with  her 
head  resting  in  one  hand,  thinking  of  pleasant 
flings. 

"It  is  afl  very  well,"  thought  Loki;  "but  I 
am  not  the  happier  because  people  can  here  live 
such  pleasant  lives.  It  does  not  do  me  any  good, 
or  cure  the  pain  I  have  had  so  long  in  my  heart" 

Loki's  long  shadow — for  the  sun  was  setting — 
fell  on  the  water  as  he  approached,  and  made 
Iduna  start  She  remembered  the  sight  that  had 
disturbed  her  so  much  in  the  morning;  but  when 
she  saw  only  Loki,  she  looked  up  and  smiled 
kindly;  for  he  had  often  accompanied  the  other 
JEsir  in  their  visits  to  her  grove. 

"I  am  wearied  with  a  long  journey,"  said  Loki 


IDUNAS  APPLES.  207 

abruptly,  "and  I  would  eat  one  of  your  apples 
to  refresh  me  after  my  fatigue."  The  casket  stood 
by  Iduna's  side,  and  she  immediately  put  in  her 
hand  and  gave  Loki  an  apple.  To  her  surprise, 
instead  of  thanking  her  warmly,  or  beginning  to 
eat  it,  he  turned  it  round  and  round  in  his  hand 
with  a  contemptuous  air. 

"It  is  true  then,"  he  said,  after  looking  in- 
tently at  the  apple  for  some  time,  "your  apples 
are  but  small  and  withered  in  comparison.  I  was 
unwilling  to  believe  it  at  first,  but  now  I  can 
doubt  no  longer." 

"Small  and  withered  I*  said  Iduna,  rising 
hastily.  Nay,  Asa  Odin  himself,  who  has  tra- 
versed the  whole  world,  assures  me  that  he  has 
never  seen  any  to  be  compared  to  them." 

"That  will  never  be  said  again,"  returned 
Loki;  "for  this  very  afternoon  I  have  discovered 
a  tree,  in  a  grove  not  far  from  Asgard,  on  which 
grow  apples  so  beautiful  that  no  one  who  has 
seen  them  will  ever  care  again  for  yours. n 

"I  do  not  wish  to  see  or  hear  of  them,"  said 
Iduna,  trying  to  turn  away  with  an  indifferent 


208       THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

air;  but  Loki  followed  her,  and  continued  to 
speak  more  and  more  strongly  of  the  beauty  of 
this  new  fruit,  hinting  that  Iduna  would  be  sorry 
that  she  had  refused  to  listen  when  she  found 
all  her  guests  deserting  her  for  the  new  grove, 
and  when  even  Bragi  began  to  think  lightly  of 
her  and  of  her  gifts.  At  this  Iduna  sighed,  and 
Loki  came  up  close  to  her,  and  whispered  in  her 
ear,— 

"  It  is  but  a  short  way  from  Asgard,  and  the 
sun  has  not  yet  set  Come  out  with  me,  and,  be- 
fore any  one  else  has  seen  the  apples,  you  shall 
gather  them,  and  put  them  in  your  casket,  and 
no  woman  shall  ever  have  it  in  her  power  to 
boast  that  she  can  feast  the  ^Esir  more  sumptuously 
than  Iduna. n 

Now  Iduna  had  often  been  cautioned  by  her 
husband  never  to  let  anything  tempt  her  to  leave 
the  grove,  and  she  had  always  been  so  happy 
here,  that  she  thought  there  was  no  use  in 
his  telling  her  the  same  thing  so  often  over;  but 
now  her  mind  was  so  full  of  the  wonderfully  beau- 
tiful fruit,  and  she  felt  such  a  burning  wish  to 


ID  UNA1  S  APPLES. 


get  it  for  herself,   that  she  quite  forgot   her    hus- 
band's commands. 

"It  is  only  a  little  way,"  she  said  to  herself; 
"there  can  be  no  harm  in  going  out  just  this 
once;"  and,  as  Loki  went  on  urging  her,  she 
took  up  her  casket  from  the  ground  hastily,  and 
begged  him  to  show  her  the  way  to  this  other 
grove.  Loki  walked  very  quickly,  and  Idun  had 
not  time  to  collect  her  thoughts  before  she  found 
herself  at  the  entrance  of  Always  Young.  At  the 
gate  she  would  gladly  have  stopped  a  minute  to 
take  breath;  but  Loki  took  hold  of  her  hand,  and 
forced  her  to  pass  through,  though,  at  the  very 
moment  of  passing,  she  half  drew  back ;  for  it  seemed 
to  her  as  if  all  the  trees  in  the  grove  suddenly 
called  out  in  alarm,  "  Come  back,  come  back,  Oh, 
come  back,  Iduna ! "  She  half  drew  back  her  hand, 
but  it  was  too  late;  the  gate  fell  behind  her,  and 
she  and  Loki  stood  together  without  the  grove. 

The  trees  rose  up  between  them  and  the  setting 
sun,  and  cast  a  deep  shadow  on  the  place  where 
they  stood;  a  cold,  night  air  blew  on  Iduna's 
cheek,  and  made  her  shiver. 


210  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

"Let  us  hasten  on,"  she  said  to  Loki;  "let 
us  hasten  on,  and  soon  come  back  again." 

But  Loki  was  not  looking  on,  he  was  looking 
up.  Iduna  raised  her  eyes  in  the  direction  of  his, 
and  her  heart  died  within  her;  for  there,  high  up 
over  her  head,  just  as  she  had  seen  it  in  the 
morning,  hung  the  lowering,  dark  wings — the  sharp 
talons — the  fierce  head,  looking  at  her.  For  one 
moment  it  stood  still  above  her  head,  and  then 
lower,  lower,  lower,  the  huge  shadow  fell;  and, 
before  Idun  found  breath  to  speak,  the  dark  wings 
were  folded  round  her,  and  she  was  borne  high 
up  in  the  air,  northwards,  towards  the  grey  mist 
that  hangs  over  Jotunheim.  Loki  watched  till  she 
was  out  of  sight,  and  then  returned  to  Asgard. 
The  presence  of  the  giant  was  no  wonder  to 
him;  for  he  had,  in  truth,  purchased  his  own 
release  by  promising  to  deliver  up  Iduna  and  her 
casket  into  his  power;  but,  as  he  returned  alone 
through  the  grove,  a  foreboding  fear  pressed  on  his 
mind. 

"If  it  should  be  true,"  he  thought,  "thatlduna's 
apples  have  the  wonderful  power  Odin  attributes 


WUNA'S  APPLES. 


to  them!    if  I  among  the  rest    should   suffer    from 
the  loss!" 

Occupied  with  these  thoughts,  he  passed  quickly 
among  the  trees,  keeping  his  eyes  resolutely  fixed 
on  the  ground.  He  dare  not  trust  himself  to  look 
around  ;  for  once,  when  he  had  raised  his  head,  he 
fancied  that,  gliding  through  the  brushwood,  he 
had  seen  the  dark  robes  and  pale  face  of  his 
daughter  Hela. 


312  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


PART  IH. 

HELA. 

WHEN  it  was  known  that  Iduna  had  disappeared 
from  her  grove,  there  were  many  sorrowful  faces 
in  Asgard,  and  anxious  voices  were  heard  inquiring 
for  her.  Loki  walked  about  with  as  grave  a  face, 
and  asked  as  many  questions,  as  any  one  else; 
but  he  had  a  secret  fear  that  became  stronger 
every  day,  that  now,  at  last,  the  consequence  of 
his  evil  ways  would  find  him  out. 

Days  passed  on,  and  the  looks  of  care,  instead 
of  wearing  away,  deepened  on  the  faces  of  the 
-dSsir.  They  met,  and  looked  at  each  other,  and 
turned  away  sighing;  each  saw  that  some  strange 
change  was  creeping  over  all  the  others,  and  none 


WUNA 'S  APPLES.  2 1 3 


liked  to  be  the  first  to  speak  of  it  It  came  on 
very  gradually — a  little  change  every  day,  and 
no  day  ever  passing  without  the  change.  The 
leaves  of  the  trees  in  Iduna's  grove  deepened  in 
colour.  They  first  became  a  sombre  green,  then 
a  glowing  red,  and,  at  last,  a  pale  brown;  and 
when  the  brisk  winds  came  and  blew  them  about, 
they  moved  every  day  more  languidly. 

"Let  us  alone,"  they  said  at  length.  "We  are 
tired,  tired,  tired." 

The  winds,  surprised,  carried  the  new  sound  to 
Gladsheim,  and  whispered  it  all  round  the  banquet- 
hall  where  the  ^Esir  sat,  and  then  they  rushed 
back  again,  and  blew  all  through  the  grove. 

"We  are  tired,"  said  the  leaves  again;  "we  are 
tired,  we  are  old;  we  are  going  to  die;"  and  at 
the  word  they  broke  from  the  trees  one  by  one, 
and  fluttered  to  the  ground,  glad  to  rest  anywhere; 
and  the  winds,  having  nothing  else  to  do,  went 
back  to  Gladsheim  with  the  last  strange  word  they 
had  learned. 

The  ^Esir  were  all  assembled  in  Valhalla;  but 
there  were  no  stories  told,  and  no  songs  sung. 


2T4  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

No  one  spoke  much  but  Loki,  and  he  was  that 
day  in  a  talking  humour.  He  moved  from  one 
to  another,  whispering  an  unwelcome  word  in 
every  ear. 

"Have  you  noticed  your  mother  Frigga?"  he 
said  to  Baldur.  "Do  you  see  how  white  her  hair 
is  growing,  and  what  a  number  of  deep  lines  are 
printed  on  her  face?" 

Then  he  turned  to  Frey.  "Look  at  your  sister 
Freyja  and  your  friend  Baldur,"  he  said,  "as  they 
sit  opposite  to  us.  What  a  change  has  come  over 
them  lately !  Who  would  think  that  that  pale  man 
and  that  faded  woman  were  Baldur  the  beautiful 
and  Freyja  the  fair? 

"You  are  tired — you  are  old — you  are  going 
to  die," — moaned  the  winds,  wandering  all  round 
the  great  halls,  and  coming  in  and  out  of  the 
hundred  doorways,  and  all  the  ^Esir  looked  up 
at  the  sad  sound.  Then  they  saw,  for  the  first 
time,  that  a  new  guest  had  seated  herself  that 
day  at  the  table  of  the  ^Esir.  There  could  be  no 
question  of  her  fitness  on  the  score  of  royalty, 
for  a  crown  rested  on  her  brow,  and  in  her  hand 


IDVNA'S  APPLES.  215 

she  held  a  sceptre;  but  the  fingers  that  grasped 
the  sceptre  were  white  and  fleshless,  and  under 
the  crown  looked  the  threatening  face  of  Hela, 
half  corpse,  half  queen. 

A  great  fear  fell  on  all  the  ^Esir  as  they  looked, 
and  only  Odin  found  voice  to  speak  to  her. 
"Dreadful  daughter  of  Loki!"  he  said,  "by 
what  warrant  do  you  dare  to  leave  the  kingdom 
where  I  permit  you  to  reign,  and  come  to  take 
your  place  among  the  ^Esir,  who  are  no  mates 
for  such  as  you?" 

Then  Hela  raised  her  bony  finger,  and  pointed, 
one  by  one,  to  the  guests  that  sat  round. 
"White  hair,"  she  said,  "wrinkled  faces,  weary 
limbs,  dull  eyes — these  are  the  warrants  which 
have  summoned  me  from  the  land  of  shadows 
to  sit  among  the  ^Esir.  I  have  come  to  claim 
you,  by  these  signs,  as  my  future  guests,  and  to 
tell  you  that  I  am  preparing  a  place  for  you  in 
my  kingdom." 

At  every  word  she  spoke  a  gust  of  icy  wind 
came  from  her  mouth  and  froze  the  blood  in  the 
listeners'  veins.  If  she  had  stayed  a  moment 


216       THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

longer  they  would  have  stiffened  into  stone ;  but 
when  she  had  spoken  thus,  she  rose  and  left  the 
hall,  and  the  sighing  winds  went  out  with  her. 

Then,  after  a  long  silence,  Bragi  stood  up  and 
spoke.  "-dEsir,"  he  said,  "We  are  to  blame.  It 
is  now  many  months  since  Idun  was  carried  away 
from  us;  we  have  mourned  for  her,  but  we  have 
not  yet  avenged  her  loss.  Since  she  left  us  a 
strange  weariness  and  despair  have  come  over  us, 
and  we  sit  looking  on  each  other  as  if  we  had 
ceased  to  be  warriors  and  ^Esir.  It  is  plain  that, 
unless  Idun  returns,  we  are  lost  Let  two  of  us 
journey  to  the  Urda  fount,  which  we  have  so  long 
neglected  to  visit,  and  enquire  of  her  from  the 
Norns — for  they  know  all  things — and  then,  when 
we  have  learnt  where  she  is,  we  will  fight  for  her 
liberty,  if  need  be,  till  we  die;  for  that  will  be 
an  end  more  fitting  for  us  than  to  sit  here  and 
wither  away  under  the  breath  of  Hela." 

At  these  words  of  Bragi  the  ^Esir  felt  a  revival 
of  their  old  strength  and  courage.  Odin  approved 
of  Bragi's  proposal,  and  decreed  that  he  and 
Baldur  should  undertake  the  journey  to  the  dwell- 


'S  APPLES. 


ing-place  of  the  Norns.  That  very  evening  they 
set  forth;  for  Hela's  visit  showed  them  that  they 
had  no  time  to  lose. 

It  was  a  weary  time  to  the  dwellers  in  Asgard 
while  they  were  absent  Two  new  citizens  had 
taken  up  their  abode  in  the  city,  Age  and  Pain. 
They  walked  the  streets  hand-in-hand,  and  there 
was  no  use  in  shutting  the  doors  against  them  \  for 
however  closely  the  entrance  was  barred,  the  dwellen 
in  the  houses  felt  them  as  they  passed. 


2i8  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


PART   IV. 

THROUGH   FLOOD   AND   FIRE. 

AT  length,  Baldur  and  Bragi  returned  with  the 
answer  of  the  Norns,  couched  in  mystic  words, 
which  Odin  alone  could  understand.  It  revealed 
Loki's  treacherous  conduct  to  the  ^sir,  and  declared 
that  Idun  could  only  be  brought  back  by  Loki, 
who  must  go  in  search  of  her,  clothed  in  Freyja's 
garments  of  falcon  feathers. 

Loki  was  very  unwilling  to  venture  on  such  a 
search ;  but  Thor  threatened  him  with  instant  death 
if  he  refused  to  obey  Odin's  commands,  or  failed 
to  bring  back  Idflna;  and,  for  his  own  safety  he 
was  obliged  to  allow  Freyja  to  fasten  the  falcon 
wings  to  his  shoulders,  and  to  set  off  towards 


1DUNAS  APPLES.  3x9 


Thiassi's  castle  in  Jotunheim,  where  he  well  knew 
that  Iduna  was  imprisoned. 

It  was  called  a  castle;  but  it  was,  in  reality,  a 
hollow  in  a  dark  rock;  the  sea  broke  against  two 
sides  of  it;  and,  above,  the  sea-birds  clamoured 
day  and  night 

There  the  giant  had  taken  Iduna  on  the  night 
on  which  she  had  left  her  grove;  and,  fearing  lest 
Odin  should  spy  her  from  Air  Throne,  he  had  shut 
her  up  in  a  gloomy  chamber,  and  strictly  forbidden 
her  ever  to  come  out  It  was  hard  to  be  shut 
up  from  the  fresh  air  and  sunshine;  and  yet, 
perhaps,  it  was  safer  for  Idun  than  if  she  had 
been  allowed  to  wander  about  Jotunheim,  and  see 
the  monstrous  sights  that  would  have  met  her 
there. 

She  saw  nothing  but  Thiassi  himself  and  his 
servants,  whom  he  had  commanded  to  attend  upon 
her;  and  they,  being  curious  to  see  a  stranger 
from  a  distant  land,  came  in  and  out  many  times 
every  day. 

They  were  fair,  Iduna  saw— fair  and  smiling; 
and,  at  first,  it  relieved  her  to  see  such  pleasant 


220  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

faces  round  her,  when  she  had  expected  something 
horrible. 

"Pity  me!"  she  used  to  say  to  them;  "pity 
me  I  I  have  been  torn  away  from  my  home  and 
my  husband,  and  I  see  no  hope  of  ever  getting 
back."  And  she  looked  earnestly  at  them ;  but  their 
pleasant  faces  never  changed,  and  there  was  always 
— however  bitterly  Idun  might  be  weeping — the 
same  smile  on  then*  lips. 

At  length  Iduna,  looking  more  narrowly  at 
them,  saw,  when  they  turned  their  backs  to  her, 
that  they  were  hollow  behind;  they  were,  in  truth, 
Ellewomen,  who  have  no  hearts,  and  can  never 
pity  any  one, 

After  Iduna  saw  this  she  looked  no  more  at 
their  smiling  faces,  but  turned  away  her  head  and 
wept  silently.  It  is  very  sad  to  live  among 
Ellewomen  when  one  is  in  trouble. 

Every  day  the  giant  came  and  thundered  at 
Iduna's  door.  "  Have  you  made  up  your  mind 
yet,"  he  used  to  say,  "to  give  me  the  apples? 
Something  dreadful  will  happen  to  you  if  you 
take  much  longer  to  think  of  itw  Iduna  trembled 


1DUNAS  APPLES.  a2l 

very  much  every  day,  but  still  she  had  strength 
to  say,  "No; "for  she  knew  that  the  most  dreadful 
thing  would  be  for  her  to  give  to  a  wicked  giant 
the  gifts  that  had  been  entrusted  to  her  for  the 
use  of  the  ^Esur.  The  giant  would  have  taken 
the  apples  by  force  if  he  could;  but,  whenever 
he  put  his  hand  into  the  casket,  the  fruit  slipped 
from  beneath  his  fingers,  shrivelled  into  the  size 
of  a  pea,  and  hid  itself  in  crevices  of  the  casket 
where  his  great  fingers  could  not  come— only  when 
Iduna's  little  white  hand  touched  it,  it  swelled 
again  to  its  own  size,  and  this  she  would  never 
do  while  the  giant  was  with  her.  So  the  days 
passed  on,  and  Iduna  would  have  died  of  grief 
among  the  smiling  Ellewomen  if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  moaning  sound  of  the  sea  and  the  wild 
cry  of  the  birds;  "for,  however  others  may  smile, 
these  pity  me, "  she  used  to  say,  and  it  was  like 
music  to  her. 

One  morning  when  she  knew  that  the  giant 
had  gone  out,  and  when  the  Ellewomen  had  left 
her  alone,  she  stood  for  a  long  time  at  her  window 
by  the  sea,  watching  the  mermaids  floating  up 


222  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

and  down  on  the  waves,  and  looking  at  heaven 
with  their  sad  blue  eyes.  She  knew  that  they 
were  mourning  because  they  had  no  souls,  and 
she  thought  within  herself  that  even  in  prison  it 
was  better  to  belong  to  the  Msu  than  to  be  a 
mermaid  or  an  Ellewoman,  were  they  ever  so  free 
or  happy. 

While  she  was  still  occupied  with  these  thoughts 
she  heard  her  name  spoken,  and  a  bird  with  large 
wings  flew  in  at  the  window,  and,  smoothing  its 
feathers,  stood  upright  before  her.  It  was  Loki 
in  Freyja's  garment  of  feathers,  and  he  made  her 
understand  in  a  moment  that  he  had  come  to  set 
her  free,  and  that  there  was  no  time  to  lose.  He 
told  her  to  conceal  her  casket  carefully  in  her 
bosom,  and  then  he  said  a  few  words  over  her, 
and  she  found  herself  changed  into  a  sparrow,  with 
the  casket  fastened  among  the  feathers  of  her 
breast. 

Then  Loki  spread  his  wings  once  more,  and 
flew  out  of  the  window,  and  Iduna  followed  him. 
The  sea-wind  blew  cold  and  rough,  and  her  little 
wings  fluttered  with  fear;  but  she  struck  them 


IDVNA'S  APPLES. 


bravely  out  into  the  air  and  flew  like  an  arrow 
over  the  water. 

"  This  way  lies  Asgard, "  cried  Loki,  and 
the  word  gave  her  strength.  But  they  had  not 
gone  far  when  a  sound  was  heard  above  the  sea, 
and  the  wind,  and  the  call  of  the  sea-birds.  Thi- 
assi  had  put  on  his  eagle  plumage,  and  was  flying 
after  them.  For  five  days  and  five  nights  the 
three  flew  over  the  water  that  divides  Jotunheim 
from  Asgard,  and,  at  the  end  of  every  day,  they 
were  closer  together,  for  the  giant  was  gaining 
on  the  other  two. 

All  the  five  days  the  dwellers  in  Asgard  stood 
on  the  walls  of  the  city  watching.  On  the  sixth 
evening  they  saw  a  falcon  and  a  sparrow,  closely 
pursued  by  an  eagle,  flying  towards  Asgard. 

"There  will  not  be  time,"  said  Bragi,  who  had 
been  calculating  the  speed  at  which  they  flew. 
"The  eagle  will  reach  them  before  they  can  get 
into  the  city." 

But  Odin  desired  a  fire  to  be  lighted  upon  the 
walls;  and  Thor  and  Tyr,  with  what  strength 
remained  to  them,  tore  up  the  trees  from  the 


S24  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

groves  and  gardens,  and  made  a  rampart  of  fire 
all  round  the  city.  The  light  of  the  fire  showed 
Iduna  her  husband  and  her  friends  waiting  for 
her.  She  made  one  last  effort,  and,  rising  high 
up  in  the  air  above  the  flames  and  smoke,  she 
passed  the  walls,  and  dropped  down  safely  at  the 
foot  of  Odin's  throne.  The  giant  tried  to  follow; 
but,  wearied  with  his  long  flight,  he  was  unable 
to  raise  his  enormous  bulk  sufficiently  high  in 
the  air.  The  flames  scorched  his  wings  as  he 
flew  through  them,  and  he  fell  among  the  flaming 
piles  of  wood,  and  was  burnt  to  death. 

How  Idun  feasted  the  ^Esir  on  her  apples,  how 
they  grew  young  and  beautiful  again,  and  how 
spring,  and  green  leaves,  and  music  came  back  to 
the  grove,  I  must  leave  you  to  imagine,  for  I  have 
made  my  story  long  enough  already;  and  if  I  say 
any  more  you  will  fancy  that  it  is  Bragi  who  has 
come  among  you,  and  that  he  has  entered  on  his 
endless  story. 


IdQna    has    a  connection    with  the    underworld, 


IDUNA'S  APPLES. 


carried  away  by  a  giant  and  kept  captive  in  his 
frozen  regions,  the  earth  meanwhile  becoming 
winterly,  old;  death  threatening  all  things.  Her 
story  is  curiously  hinted  at  in  the  Elder  Edda,  where 
Iduna  is  represented  as  falling  down  from  Yggdrasil's 
Ash  into  the  nether  world.  Odin  sends  Heimdall 
and  Bragi  to  bring  her  up  again,  and  to  ascertain 
from  her  if  she  has  been  able  to  discover  anything 
about  the  destruction  and  duration  of  the  world 
and  heaven.  Instead  of  answering  she  bursts  into 
tears — the  bright,  tearful  return  of  Spring — or  may 
this  mean  the  impossibility  of  wringing  from  Nature 
answers  to  the  questions  and  longings  that  fill  the 
heart,  even  the  tender  year  with  its  messages  of 
hope  and  hints  of  immortality  is  unable  to  give  the 
full  assurance  for  which  we  yearn. 

Iduna  is  supposed  to  typify  the  Spring,  and  her 
falling  into  captivity  for  a  time  to  the  giant  Thiassi 
corresponds  to  the  falling  of  the  leaf  in  Autumn. 
The  union  of  Poetry  with  Spring  seems  very 
appropriate,  and  we  must  not  forget  to  mention 
that  Bragi's  name  calls  to  mind  the  old  story  of 
the  BragarfulL  At  feasts,  in  old  times,  it  was  the 


226  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

custom  to  drink  from  cups  of  mead.  One  to  Odin 
for  victory,  one  to  Frey  and  one  to  Niord  for  a 
good  year  and  peace,  and  the  fourth  to  Bragi. 
It  was  called  the  "  Cup  of  Vows,"  and  the  drinker 
vowed  over  it  to  perform  some  great  deed  worthy 
of  the  song  of  a  skald. 

In  connection  with  the  story  of  Iduna — being, 
indeed,  almost  a  sequel  to  it — we  find  the  myth  of 
Skadi,  which  is  as  follows : — 

The  giant  Thiassi  had  a  very  tall  daughter,  called 
Skadi  When  she  found  that  her  father  never 
returned  from  his  pursuit  of  Idun,  she  put  on  her 
armour  and  set  off  to  Asgard  to  revenge  his  death. 
The  heroes,  however,  were  not  inclined  to  allow 
her  the  honour  of  a  combat  They  suggested  to 
her  that,  perhaps,  it  would  answer  her  purpose  as 
well,  if,  instead  of  fighting  them,  she  were  to 
content  herself  with  marrying  one  of  their  number, 
and  it  appeared  to  Skadi  that  this  might  possibly 
be  revenge  enough.  The  ^Esir,  however,  could 
not  make  up  their  minds  who  should  be  the 
victim.  It  was  agreed,  at  last,  that  they  should 
all  stand  in  some  place  of  concealment  where 


SKADI   CHOOSING  HER   HUSBAND. 


Page  227. 


IDUNAS  APPLES. 


227 


only  their  feet  could  be  seen,  and  that  Skadi 
should  walk  before  them,  and,  by  looking  at  the 
feet,  choose  her  husband.  Now,  Skadi  had  privately 
made  up  her  mind  to  marry  Baldur;  so,  after 
looking  carefully  at  all  the  feet,  she  stopped  before 
a  pair,  which,  from  their  beautiful  shape,  she 
thought  could  only  belong  to  the  handsome  Sun- 
god.  When,  however,  the  figure  belonging  to  the 
feet  emerged  from  the  hiding-place,  it  was  dis- 
covered that  she  had  chosen  the  bluff,  gusty  old 
Niord  instead  of  the  beautiful  young  Baldur;  and 
she  was  not  particularly  well  pleased  with  her 
choice,  though  she  was  obliged  to  abide  by  it 

When  Skadi  and  Niord  were  married  they  found, 
as  persons  do  find  who  marry  each  other  for  the 
shape  of  their  feet,  and  other  such  wise  reasons, 
that  it  was  not  at  all  an  easy  thing  to  live  happily 
together.  They  could  not  even  agree  about  the 
place  where  they  should  live.  Skadi  was  never 
happy  out  of  Thrymheim — the  home  of  noise  in 
misty  Jotunheim,  and  Niord  could  not  forget  pleasant 
Noatim,  and  the  clear,  sunny  seas  where  he  had 
dwelt  in  his  youth.  At  last  they  agreed  that  they 


228  fHE  HEROES   OF  ASGARD. 

would  spend  three  days  in  Noatun,  and  nine  days  in 
Thrymheim  ;  but  one  day,when  Niord  was  returning 
to  Noatun,  he  could  not  help  breaking  out  into  the 
following  song : — 

"  Of  mountains  I  am  weary, 
Nine  nights  long  and  dreary, 
All  up  the  misty  hill, 
The  wolf's  long  howl  I  heard. 
Methought  it  sounded  strangely— 
Methought  it  sounded  ill 
To  the  song  of  the  swan  bird.1* 

And  Skadi  immediately  answered : 

••  Never  can  I  sleep 

In  my  couch  by  the  strand, 
For  the  wild,  restless  waves 
Rolling  over  the  sand, 
For  the  scream  of  the  seagulls, 
For  the  mew  as  he  cries, 
These  sounds  chase  for  ever 
Sweet  sleep  from  mine  eyes." 

Then,  putting  on  a  pair  of  snow-skates,  she  set 
off  more  swiftly  than  the  wind,  and  Niord  never 
saw  more  of  her.  Ever  afterwards,  with  her  bow 
in  her  hand,  she  spent  her  time  in  chasing  wild 
animals  over  the  snow,  and  she  is  the  queen  and 
patroness  of  all  skaters. 


IDUNA'S  APPLES. 


229 


The  next  story  is  about  Baldur,  of  whom  Hai 
says  "that  he  is  the  best  of  the  sons  of  Odin.  So 
lair  and  dazzling  that  rays  of  light  seem  to  issue 
from  him,  and  thou  mayest  form  some  idea  of  the 
beauty  of  his  hair  when  I  tell  thee  that  the  whitest 
of  all  plants  is  called  *  Baldur's  brow ' "  (a  plant  in 
Sweden  still  called  Baldur's  eyebrow).  Baldur  is 
the  mildest,  the  wisest,  and  the  most  eloquent  of 
all  the  ^Esir. 

"Broad  glance 'tis  called 
Where  Baldur  the  Fair 
Hath  built  him  a  bower 
In  that  land  where  I  know 
The  least  loathliness  lietk" 


BALDUR.  33, 


CHAPTER  VL 
BALDUR, 

PART  I, 

THE  DREAM. 

UPON  a  summer's  afternoon  it  happened  that 
Baldur  the  Bright  and  Bold,  beloved  of  men  and 
^Esir,  found  himself  alone  in  his  palace  of  Broad- 
blink.  Thor  was  walking  low  down  among  the 
valleys,  his  brow  heavy  with  summer  heat;  Frey 
and  Gerda  sported  on  still  waters  in  their  cloud- 
leaf  ship ;  Odin,  for  once,  slept  on  the  top  of  Air 
Throne;  a  noon-day  stillness  pervaded  the  whole 
earth;  and  Baldur  in  Broadblink,  the  wide-glancing 
most  sunlit  of  palaces,  dreamed  a  dream. 


231 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


Now  the  dream  ot  Baldur  was  troubled.  He 
knew  not  whence  nor  why;  but  when  he  awoke 
he  found  that  a  most  new  and  weighty  care  was 
within  him.  It  was  so  heavy  that  Baldur  could 
scarcely  carry  it,  and  yet  he  pressed  it  closely 
to  his  heart,  and  said,  "Lie  there,  and  do  not 
fall  on  any  one  but  me."  Then  he  rose  up, 
and  walked  out  from  the  expanded  splendour  of 
his  hall,  that  he  might  seek  his  own  mother, 
Frigga,  and  tell  her  what  had  happened  to  him. 
He  found  her  in  her  crystal  saloon,  calm  and 
kind,  waiting  to  listen,  and  ready  to  sympathise; 
so  he  walked  up  to  her,  his  hands  pressed  closely 
on  his  heart,  and  lay  down  at  her  feet  sighing. 

"What  is  the  matter,  dear  Baldur?"  asked 
Frigga,  gently. 

"I  do  not  know,  mother,"  answered  he.  "I 
do  not  know  what  the  matter  is;  but  I  have  a 
shadow  in  my  heart" 

"Take  it  out,  then,  my  son,  and  let  me  look 
at  it,"  replied  Frigg. 

"But  I  fear,  mother,  that  if  I  do  it  will  covef 
the  whole  earth." 


3ALDUR.  233 


Then  Frigga  laid  her  hand  upon  the  heart  of 
her  son  that  she  might  feel  the  shadow's  shape. 
Her  brow  became  clouded  as  she  felt  it ;  her  parted 
lips  grew  pale,  and  she  cried  out,  "  Oh  !  Baldur, 
my  beloved  son !  the  shadow  is  the  shadow  of 
death  1" 

Then  said  Baldur,  "I  will  die  bravely,  my 
mother." 

But  Frigga  answered,  "You  shall  not  die  at 
all;  for  I  will  not  sleep  to-night  until  everything 
on  earth  has  sworn  to  me  that  it  will  neither 
kill  nor  harm  you." 

So  Frigga  stood  up,  and  called  to  her  everything 
on  earth  that  had  power  to  hurt  or  slay.  First 
she  called  all  metals  to  her;  and  heavy  iron-ore 
came  lumbering  up  the  hill  into  the  crystal  hall, 
brass  and  gold,  copper,  silver,  lead,  and  steel,  and 
stood  before  the  Queen,  who  lifted  her  right-hand 
high  in  the  air,  saying,  "Swear  to  me  that  you 
will  not  injure  Baldur ;"  and  they  all  swore,  and 
went.  Then  she  called  to  her  all  stones;  and 
huge  granite  came  with  crumbling  sand-stone,  and 

white  lime,  and  the  round,  smooth  stones  of  the 

Q 


234  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

sea-shore,  and  Frigga  raised  her  arm,  saying, 
''Swear  that  you  will  not  injure  Baldurj"  and 
they  swore,  and  went.  Then  Frigga  called  to 
her  the  trees ;  and  wide -spreading  oak-trees,  with 
tall  ash  and  sombre  firs  came  rushing  up  the  hill, 
with  long  branches,  from  which  green  leaves  like 
flags  were  waving,  and  Frigga  raised  her  hand, 
and  said,  "Swear  that  you  will  not  hurt  Baldur;" 
and  they  said,  "We  swear,"  and  went.  After  this 
Frigga  called  to  her  the  diseases,  who  came  blown 
thitherward  by  poisonous  winds  on  wings  of  pain, 
and  to  the  sound  of  moaning.  Frigga  said  to  them, 
* Swear:"  and  they  sighed,  "We  swear,"  then  flew 
away.  Then  Frigga  called  to  her  all  beasts,  birds, 
and  venomous  snakes,  who  came  to  her  and  swore, 
and  disappeared.  After  this  she  stretched  out  her 
hand  to  Baldur,  whilst  a  smile  spread  over  her 
face,  saying,  "  And  now,  my  son,  you  cannot  die." 

But  just  then  Odin  came  in,  and  when  he  had 
heard  from  Frigga  the  whole  story,  he  looked  even 
more  mournful  than  she  had  done;  neither  did 
the  cloud  pass  from  his  face  when  he  was  told  of 
the  oaths  that  had  been  taken. 


BALDUR. 


*35 


"  Why  do  you  still  look  so  grave,  my  lord  ?"  de- 
manded Frigg,  at  last  "Baldur  cannot  now  die." 

But  Odin  asked  very  gravely,  "Is  the  shadow 
gone  out  of  our  son's  heart,  or  is  it  still  there?" 

"  It  cannot  be  there,"  said  Frigg,  turning  away 
her  head  resolutely,  and  folding  her  hands  before 
her. 

But  Odin  looked  at  Baldur,  and  saw  how  it 
was.  The  hands  pressed  to  the  heavy  heart,  the 
beautiful  brow  grown  dim.  Then  immediately  he 
arose,  saddled  Sleipnir,  his  eight -footed  steed, 
mounted  him,  and,  turning  to  Frigga,  said,  "  I 
know  of  a  dead  Vala,  *  Frigg,  who,  when  she  was 
alive,  could  tell  what  was  going  to  happen;  her 
grave  lies  on  the  east  side  of  Helheim,  and  I 
am  going  there  to  awake  her,  and  ask  whether  any 
terrible  grief  is  really  coming  upon  us." 

So  saying  Odin  shook  the  bridle  in  his  hand, 
and  the  Eight-footed,  with  a  bound,  leapt  forth, 
rushed  like  a  whirlwind  down  the  mountain  of 
Asgard,  and  then  dashed  into  a  narrow  defile 
between  rocks. 

*  Vala — a  prophetess. 


236       THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

Sleipnir  went  on  through  the  defile  a  long 
way,  until  he  came  to  a  place  where  the  earth 
opened  her  mouth.  There  Odin  rode  in  and 
down  a  broad,  steep,  slanting  road  which  led  him 
to  the  cavern  Gnipa,  and  the  mouth  of  the  cavern 
Gnipa  yawned  upon  Niflheim.  Then  thought  Odin 
to  himself,  "  My  journey  is  already  done."  But 
just  as  Sleipnir  was  about  to  leap  through  the 
jaws  of  the  pit,  Garm,  the  voracious  dog  who 
was  chained  to  the  rock,  sprang  forward,  and 
tried  to  fasten  himself  upon  Odin.  Three  times 
Odin  shook  him  off,  and  still  Garm,  as  fierce  as 
ever,  went  on  with  the  fight  At  last  Sleipnir 
leapt,  and  Odin  thrust  just  at  the  same  moment; 
then  horse  and  rider  cleared  the  entrance,  and 
turned  eastward  toward  the  dead  Vala's  grave, 
dripping  blood  along  the  road  as  they  went;  while 
the  beaten  Garm  stood  baying  in  the  cavern's 
mouth. 

When  Odin  came  to  the  grave  he  got  off  his 
horse,  and  stood  with  his  face  northwards  looking 
through  barred  enclosures  into  the  city  of  Helheim 
itself.  The  servants  of  Hela  were  very  busy  there 


BALDUR. 


*37 


making  preparations  for  some  new  guest — hanging 
gilded  couches  with  curtains  of  anguish  and  splendid 
misery  upon  the  walls.  Then  Odin's  heart  died 
within  him  and  he  began  to  repeat  mournful  runes 
in  a  low  tone  to  himself. 

The  dead  Vala  turned  heavily  in  her  grave  at 
the  sound  of  his  voice,  and,  as  he  went  on,  sat 
bolt  upright  "What  man  is  this,"  she  asked, 
"who  dares  disturb  my  sleep?" 

Then  Odin,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  said 
what  was  not  true;  the  shadow  of  Baldur  dead 
fell  upon  his  lips,  and  he  made  answer,  "  My  name 
is  Vegtam,  the  son  of  Valtam." 

"And  what  do  you  want  from  me?"  asked  the 
Vala. 

"I  want  to  know,"  replied  Odin,  "for  whom 
Hela  is  making  ready  that  gilded  couch  in 
Helheim?" 

"That  is  for  Baldur  the  Beloved,"  answered 
the  dead  Vala.  "Now  go  away,  and  let  me  sleep 
again,  for  my  eyes  are  heavy." 

But  Odin  said,  "  Only  one  word  more.  Is  Baldur 
going  to  Helheim  ?  " 


238  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

"Yes,  I've  told  you  that  he  is,"  answered  the 
Vala. 

"Will  he  never  come  back  to  Asgard  again  ?M 

"If  everything  on  earth  should  weep  for  him," 
answered  she,  "he  will  go  back;  if  not,  he  will 
remain  in  Helheim." 

Then  Odin  covered  his  face  with  his  hands,  and 
looked  into  darkness. 

"Do  go  away,1*  said  the  Vala,  "I'm  so  sleepy; 
I  cannot  keep  my  eyes  open  any  longer." 

But  Odin  raised  his  head,  and  said  again,  "  Only 
tell  me  this  one  thing.  Just  now,  as  I  looked  into 
darkness,  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  saw  one  on  earth 
who  would  not  weep  for  Baldur.  Who  was  it  ?  " 

At  this  the  Vala  grew  very  angry  and  said, 
"How  couldst  thou  see  in  darkness?  I  know 
of  only  one  who,  by  giving  away  his  eye,  gained 
light  No  Vegtam  art  thou,  but  Odin,  chief  of 
men." 

At  her  angry  words  Odin  became  angry  too, 
and  called  out  as  loudly  as  ever  he  could,  "No 
Vala  art  thou,  nor  wise  woman,  but  rather  the 
mother  of  three  giants," 


BALDUR. 


239 


"  Go,  go ! w  answered  the  Vala,  falling  back  in 
her  grave;  "no  man  shall  waken  me  again  until 
Loki  have  burst  his  chains  and  Ragnarok  be 
come."  After  this  Odin  mounted  the  Eight-footed 
once  more,  and  rode  thoughtfully  towards  home. 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


PART  IL 

THE   PEACESTEAB. 

WHEN  Odin  came  back  to  Asgard,  Hermod  took 
the  bridle  from  his  father's  hand,  and  told  him 
that  the  rest  of  the  ./Esir  were  gone  to  the  Peace- 
stead — a  broad,  green  plain  which  lay  just  outside 
the  city.  Now  this  was,  in  fact,  the  playground  of 
the  ^Esir,  where  they  practised  trials  of  skill  one 
with  another,  and  held  tournaments  and  sham  fights. 
These  last  were  always  conducted  in  the  gentlest 
and  most  honourable  manner ;  for  the  strongest  law 
of  the  Peacestead  was,  that  no  angry  blow  should  be 
struck,  or  spiteful  word  spoken,  upon  the  sacred  field ; 
and  for  this  reason  some  have  thought  it  might  be 
well  if  children  also  had  a  Peacestead  to  play  in. 


BALDUR.  241 


Odin  was  too  much  tired  by  his  journey  from 
Helheim  to  go  to  the  Peacestead  that  afternoon; 
so  he  turned  away,  and  shut  himself  up  in  his 
palace  of  Gladsheim.  But  when  he  was  gone, 
Loki  came  into  the  city  by  another  way,  and  hear- 
ing from  Hermod  where  the  ^Esir  were,  set  off 
to  join  them. 

When  he  got  to  the  Peacestead,  Loki  found 
that  the  ^Esir  were  standing  round  in  a  circle 
shooting  at  something,  and  he  peeped  between 
the  shoulders  of  two  of  them  to  find  out  what 
it  was.  To  his  surprise  he  saw  Baldur  standing 
in  the  midst,  erect  and  calm,  whilst  his  friends 
and  brothers  were  aiming  their  weapons  at  him. 
Some  hewed  at  him  with  their  swords — others 
threw  stones  at  him — some  shot  arrows  pointed 
with  steel,  and  Thor  continually  swung  Miolnir 
at  his  head.  "Well,"  said  Loki  to  himself,  "if 
this  is  the  sport  of  Asgard,  what  must  that  of 
Jotunheim  be?  I  wonder  what  Father  Odin  and 
Mother  Frigg  would  say  if  they  were  here  ? "  Bat 
as  Loki  still  looked,  he  became  even  more  sur- 
prised, for  the  sport  went  on,  and  Baldur  was 


242        THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

not  hurt  Arrow*  aimed  at  his  very  heart  glanced 
back  again  untinged  with  blood.  The  stones  fell 
down  from  his  broad  bright  brow,  and  left  no 
bruises  there.  Swords  clave,  but  did  not  wound 
him;  Miolnir  struck  him,  and  he  was  not  crushed. 
At  this  Loki  grew  perfectly  furious  with  envy 
and  hatred.  "And  why  is  Baldur  to  be  so 
honoured,"  said  he,  "that  even  steel  and  stone 
shall  not  hurt  him?"  Then  Loki  changed  himself 
into  a  little,  dark,  bent,  old  woman,  with  a  stick 
in  his  hand,  and  hobbled  away  from  the  Peacestead 
to  Frigga's  cool  saloon.  At  the  door  he  knocked 
with  his  stick. 

"Come  in!"  said  the  kind  voice  of  Frigg,  and 
Loki  lifted  the  latch. 

Now  when  Frigga  saw,  from  the  other  end  of 
the  hall,  a  little,  bent,  crippled,  old  woman,  come 
hobbling  up  her  crystal  floor,  she  got  up  with 
true  queenliness,  and  met  her  half  way,  holding 
out  her  hand,  and  saying  in  the  kindest  manner, 
"  Pray  sit  down,  my  poor  old  friend ;  for  it  seems 
to  me  that  you  have  come  from  a  great  way 
oft" 


BALDUR.  243 


"That  I  have,  indeed,"  answered  Loki  in  a 
tremulous,  squeaking  voice. 

"And  did  you  happen  to  see  anything  of  the 
^Esir,"  asked  Frigg,  "  as  you  came  ?  " 

"Just  now  I  passed  by  the  Peacestead,  and 
saw  them  at  play." 

"What  were  they  doing ?* 

"Shooting  at  Baldur." 

Then  Frigg  bent  over  her  work  with  a  pleased 
smile  on  her  face.  "And  nothing  hurt  him?" 
she  said. 

"Nothing,"  answered  Loki,  looking  keenly  at 
her." 

"No,  nothing,"  murmured  Frigg,  still  looking 
down  and  speaking  half  musingly  to  herself;  "for 
all  things  have  sworn  to  me  that  they  will  not." 

"Sworn!"  exclaimed  Loki,  eagerly;  "what  is 
that  you  say  ?  Has  everything  sworn  then  ?  " 

"Everything,"  answered  she,  "excepting,  indeed, 
the  little  shrub  mistletoe,  which  grows,  you  know, 
on  the  west  side  of  Valhal,  and  to  which  I  said 
nothing,  because  I  thought  it  was  too  young  to 


244 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


u  Excellent  1"  thought  Loki;  and  then  he  got 
up. 

"You're  not  going  yet,  are  you?"  said  Frigg, 
stretching  out  her  hand  and  looking  up  at  last 
into  the  eyes  of  the  old  woman. 

"I'm  quite  rested  now,  thank  you,**  answered 
Loki  in  his  squeaky  voice,  and  then  he  hobbled  out 
at  the  door,  which  clapped  after  him,  and  sent  a 
cold  gust  into  the  room.  Frigga  shuddered,  and 
thought  that  a  serpent  was  gliding  down  the  back 
of  her  neck. 

When  Loki  had  left  the  presence  of  Frigg,  he 
changed  himself  back  to  his  proper  shape,  and 
went  straight  to  the  west  side  of  Valhal,  where 
the  mistletoe  grew.  Then  he  opened  his  knife, 
and  cut  off  a  large  branch,  saying  these  words, 
"  Too  young  for  Frigga's  oaths,  but  not  too  weak  for 
Loki's  work."  After  which  he  set  off  for  the  Peace- 
stead  once  more,  the  mistletoe  in  his  hand.  When 
he  got  there  he  found  that  the  ^Esir  were  still 
at  their  sport,  standing  round,  taking  aim,  and 
talking  eagerly,  and  Baldur  did  not  seem  tired. 

But  there  was  one  who  stood  alone,  leaning  against 


BALDUR.  245 


a  tree,  and  who  took  no  part  in  what  was  going  on. 
This  was  Hodur,  Baldur's  blind  twin-brother;  he 
stood  with  his  head  bent  downwards,  silent,  whilst 
the  others  were  speaking,  doing  nothing  when  they 
were  most  eager;  and  Loki  thought  that  there 
was  a  discontented  expression  on  his  face,  just  as 
if  he  were  saying  to  himself,  "Nobody  takes  any 
notice  of  me."  So  Loki  went  up  to  him,  and 
put  his  hand  upon  his  shoulder. 

"  And  why  are  you  standing  here  all  alone,  my 
brave  friend?"  said  he.  Why  don't  you  throw 
something  at  Baldur.  Hew  at  him  with  a  sword, 
or  show  him  some  attention  of  that  sort" 

"I  haven't  got  a  sword,"  answered  Hodur,  with 
an  impatient  gesture ;  "  and  you  know  as  well  as 
I  do,  Loki,  that  Father  Odin  does  not  approve 
of  my  wearing  warlike  weapons,  or  joining  in  sham 
fights,  because  I  am  blind." 

"Oh!  is  that  it?"  said  Loki.  "Well,  I  only 
know  I  shouldn't  like  to  be  left  out  of  everything. 
However,  I've  got  a  twig  of  mistletoe  here  which 
I'll  lend  you  if  you  like;  a  harmless  little  twig 
enough,  but  I  shall  be  happy  to  guide  your 


246  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

arm  if  you  would  like  to  throw  it,  and  Baldur 
might  take  it  as  a  compliment  from  his  twin- 
brother." 

"Let  me  feel  it,"  said  Hodur,  stretching  out 
his  uncertain  hands. 

"This  way,  this  way,  my  dear  friend,"  said  Loki, 
giving  him  the  twig.  "  Now,  as  hard  as  ever  you 
can,  to  do  him  honour;  throw  1" 

Hodur  threw — Baldur  fell,  and  the  shadow  of 
death  covered  the  whole  earth, 


£ALDUR. 


PART  IIL 

BALDUR   DEAD. 

ONE  after  another  they  turned  and  left  the  Peace- 
stead,  those  friends  and  brothers  of  the  slain.  One 
after  another  they  turned  and  went  towards  the  city ; 
crushed  hearts,  heavy  footsteps,  no  word  amongst 
them,  a  shadow  upon  all  The  shadow  was  in 
Asgard  too, — had  walked  through  Frigga's  hall,  and 
seated  itself  upon  the  threshold  of  Gladsheim. 
Odin  had  just  come  out  to  look  at  it,  and  Frigg 
stood  by  in  mute  despair  as  the  JEsir  came  up. 

"Loki  did  it!  Loki  did  it!"  they  said  at  last 
in  confused,  hoarse  whispers,  and  they  looked  from 
one  to  another,  upon  Odin,  upon  Frigg,  upon  the 
shadow  which  they  saw  before  them,  and  which 


248        THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

they  felt  within.  "Loki  did  it!  Loki,  Loki!" 
they  went  on  saying;  but  it  was  no  use  repeating 
the  name  of  Loki  over  and  over  again  when  there 
was  another  name  they  were  too  sad  to  utter  which 
yet  filled  all  their  hearts — Baldur.  Frigga  said 
it  first,  and  then  they  all  went  to  look  at  him 
lying  down  so  peacefully  on  the  grass — dead,  dead. 

"  Carry  him  to  the  funeral  pyre ! "  said  Odin,  at 
length;  and  four  of  the  ^sir  stooped  down,  and 
lifted  their  dead  brother. 

With  scarcely  any  sound  they  carried  the  body 
tenderly  to  the  sea-shore,  and  laid  it  upon  the 
deck  of  that  majestic  ship  called  Ringhorn,  which 
had  been  his.  Then  they  stood  round  waiting  to 
see  who  would  come  to  the  funeral.  Odin  came,  and 
on  his  shoulders  sat  his  two  ravens,  whose  croaking 
drew  clouds  down  over  the  Asa's  face,  for  Thought 
and  Memory  sang  one  sad  song  that  day.  Frigga 
came, — Frey,  Gerda,  Freyja,  Thor,  Hcenir,  Bragi,  and 
Idun.  Heimdall  came  sweeping  over  the  tops  of  the 
mountains  on  Golden  Mane,  his  swift,  bright  steed. 
^Egir  the  Old  groaned  from  under  the  deep,  and 
sent  his  daughters  up  to  mourn  around  the  dead. 


BALDUJK.  349 


Frost-giants  and  mountain-giants  came  crowding 
round  the  rimy  shores  of  Jotunheim  to  look  across 
the  sea  upon  the  funeral  of  an  Asa.  Nanna  came, 
Baldur's  fair  young  wife;  but  when  she  saw  the 
dead  body  of  her  husband  her  own  heart  broke 
with  grief,  and  the  ^Esir  laid  her  beside  him  on 
the  stately  ship.  After  this  Odin  stepped  forward, 
and  placed  a  ring  on  the  breast  of  his  son,  whisper- 
ing something  at  the  same  time  in  his  ear;  but 
when  he  and  the  rest  of  the  ^Esir  tried  to  push 
Ringhorn  into  the  sea  before  setting  fire  to  it, 
they  found  that  their  hearts  were  so  heavy  they 
could  lift  nothing.  So  they  beckoned  to  the 
giantess  Hyrrokin  to  come  over  from  Jotunheim 
and  help  them.  She,  with  a  single  push,  set  the 
ship  floating,  and  then,  whilst  Thor  stood  up 
holding  Miolnir  high  in  the  air,  Odin  lighted 
the  funeral  pile  of  Baldur  and  of  Nanna. 

So  Ringhorn  went  out  floating  towards  the  deep, 
and  the  funeral  fire  burnt  on.  Its  broad  red 
flame  burst  forth  towards  heaven;  but  when  the 
smoke  would  have  gone  upward  too,  the  winda 

came  sobbing  and  carried  it  away. 

& 


250 


THE  HEROES  Of  ASGARD. 


PART   IV. 

HELHEIM. 

WHEN  at  last  the  ship  Ringhorn  had  floated  out 
so  far  to  sea  that  it  looked  like  a  dull,  red  lamp 
on  the  horizon,  Frigga  turned  round  and  said, 
"Does  any  one  of  you,  my  children,  wish  to  per- 
form a  noble  action,  and  win  my  love  for  ever?" 

"  I  do,"  cried  Hermod,  before  any  one  else  had 
time  to  open  his  lips. 

"Go,  then,  Hermod,"  answered  Frigg,  "saddle 
Sleipnir  with  all  speed,  and  ride  down  to  Helheim ; 
there  seek  out  Hela,  the  stern  mistress  of  the 
dead,  and  entreat  her  to  send  our  beloved  back 
to  us  once  more." 

Hermod  was  gone  in  the  twinkling  of  an   eye, 


BALDUR.  251 

not  in  at  the  mouth  of  the  earth  and  through  the 
steep  cavern  down  which  Odin  went  to  the  dead 
Vala's  grave ;  he  chose  another  way,  though  not 
a  better  one;  for,  go  to  Helheim  how  you  will, 
the  best  is  but  a  downward  road,  and  so  Hermod 
found  it — downward,  slanting,  slippery,  dark  and 
very  cold.  At  last  he  came  to  the  Giallar  Bru — 
that  sounding  river  which  flows  between  the  living 
and  the  dead,  and  the  bridge  over  which  is  paved 
with  stones  of  glittering  gold.  Hermod  was  sur- 
prised to  see  gold  in  such  a  place;  but  as  he 
rode  over  the  bridge,  and  looked  down  carefully 
at  the  stones,  he  saw  that  they  were  only  tears 
which  had  been  shed  round  the  beds  of  the  dying — 
only  tears,  and  yet  they  made  the  way  seem 
brighter.  But  when  Hermod  reached  the  other 
end  of  the  bridge,  he  found  the  courageous  woman 
who,  for  ages  and  ages,  had  been  sitting  there 
to  watch  the  dead  go  by,  and  she  stopped  him 
saying, — 

"What  a  noise  you  make.  Who  are  you? 
Yesterday  five  troops  of  dead  men  went  over  the 
Giallar  Bridge,  and  did  not  shake  it  so  much  as 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


you  have  done.  Besides,"  she  added,  looking  more 
closely  at  Hermod,  "you  are  not  a  dead  man  at 
all.  Your  lips  are  neither  cold  nor  blue.  Why, 
then,  do  you  ride  on  the  way  to  Helheim?" 

"I  seek  Baldur,"  answered  Hermod.  "Tell  me, 
have  you  seen  him  pass?" 

"  Baldur,"  she  said,  "  has  ridden  over  the  bridge ; 
but  there  below,  towards  the  north,  lies  the  way 
to  the  Abodes  of  Death." 

So  Hermod  went  on  the  way  until  he  came  to 
the  barred  gates  of  Helheim  itself.  There  he 
alighted,  tightened  his  saddle-girths,  remounted, 
clapped  both  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  cleared  the 
gate  by  one  tremendous  leap.  Then  Hermod 
found  himself  in  a  place  where  no  living  man  had 
ever  been  before — the  City  -of  the  Dead.  Perhaps 
you  think  there  is  a  great  silence  there,  but  you 
are  mistaken.  Hermod  thought  he  had  never  in 
his  life  heard  so  much  noise ;  for  the  echoes  of  all 
words  were  speaking  together — words,  some  newly 
uttered  and  some  ages  old;  but  the  dead  men  did 
not  hear  who  flitted  up  and  down  the  dark  streets, 
for  their  ears  had  been  stunned  and  become  cold 


BALDUR. 


253 


long  since.  Hermod  rode  on  through  the  city  until 
he  came  to  the  palace  of  Hela,  which  stood  in  the 
midst.  Precipice  was  its  threshold,  the  entrance- 
hall,  Wide  Storm,  and  yet  Hermod  was  not  too 
much  afraid  to  seek  the  innermost  rooms ;  so  he 
went  on  to  the  banqueting-hall,  where  Hela  sat 
at  the  head  of  her  table,  and  served  her  newest 
guests.  Baldur,  alas!  sat  at  her  right-hand,  and 
on  her  left  his  pale  young  wife.  When  Hela  saw 
Hermod  coming  up  the  hall  she  smiled  grimly, 
but  beckoned  to  him  at  the  same  time  to  sit  down, 
and  told  him  that  he  might  sup  that  night  with 
her.  It  was  a  strange  supper  for  a  living  man  to 
sit  down  to.  Hunger  was  the  table;  Starvation, 
Hela's  knife ;  Delay  her  man ;  Slowness,  her 
maid  j  and  Burning  Thirst,  her  wine.  After  sup- 
per Hela  led  the  way  to  the  sleeping  apartments. 
"You  see,"  she  said,  turning  to  Hermod,  "I  am 
very  anxious  about  the  comfort  of  my  guests.  Here 
are  beds  of  unrest  provided  for  all,  hung  with 
curtains  of  weariness,  and  look  how  all  the  walls 
are  furnished  with  despair." 

So  saying  she  strode  away,  leaving  Hermod  and 


254  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

Baldur  together.  The  whole  night  they  sat  on 
those  unquiet  couches  and  talked.  Hermod  could 
speak  of  nothing  but  the  past,  and  as  he  looked 
anxiously  round  the  room  his  eyes  became  dim 
with  tears.  But  Baldur  seemed  to  see  a  light 
far  off,  and  he  spoke  of  what  was  to  come. 

The  next  morning  Hermod  went  to  Hela,  and 
entreated  her  to  let  Baldur  return  to  Asgard.  He 
even  offered  to  take  his  place  in  Helheim  if  she 
pleased;  but  Hela  only  laughed  at  this,  and  said, 
"You  talk  a  great  deal  about  Baldur,  and  boast 
how  much  every  one  loves  him;  I  will  prove  now 
if  what  you  have  told  me  be  true.  Let  everything 
on  earth,  living  or  dead,  weep  for  Baldur  and  he 
shall  go  home  again;  but  if  one  thing  only  refuse 
to  weep,  then  let  Helheim  hold  its  own;  he  shall 
not  go." 

"  Every-  one  will  weep  willingly,"  said  Hermod, 
as  he  mounted  Sleipnir,  and  rode  towards  the 
entrance  of  the  city.  Baldur  went  with  him  as 
far  as  the  gate,  and  began  to  send  messages  to  all 
his  friends  in  Asgard,  but  Hermod  would  not  listen 
to  many  of  them. 


BALDUR. 


255 


"You  will  so  soon  come  back  to  us,"  he  said, 
"there  is  no  use  in  sending  messages." 

So  Hermod  darted  homewards,  and  Baldur 
watched  him  through  the  bars  of  Helheim's  gate- 
way as  he  flew  along. 

"Not  soon,  not  soon,"  said  the  dead  Asa;  but 
still  he  saw  the  light  far  off,  and  thought  of  what 
was  to  come. 


1 56  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


PART  V. 

WEEPING* 

"WELL,  Hermod,  what  did  she  say?"  asked  the 
^Esir  from  the  top  of  the  hill,  as  they  saw  him 
coming;  "make  haste  and  tell  us  what  she  said." 
And  Hermod  came  up. 

"  Oh  !  is  that  all  ? "  they  cried,  as  soon  as  he 
had  delivered  his  message.  "Nothing  can  be 
more  easy;"  and  then  they  all  hurried  off  to 
tell  Frigga.  She  was  weeping  already,  and  in 
five  minutes  there  was  not  a  tearless  eye  in 
Asgard. 

"But  this  is  not  enough,"  said  Odin;  "the 
whole  earth  must  know  of  our  grief  that  it  may 
weep  with  us." 


BALDUR. 


*57 


Then  the  father  of  the  ^Esir  called  to  him  his 
messenger  maidens — the  beautiful  Valkyrior — and 
sent  them  out  into  all  worlds  with  these  three 
words  on  their  lips,  "Baldur  is  dead!"  But  the 
words  were  so  dreadful  that  at  first  the  messenger 
maidens  could  only  whisper  them  in  low  tones 
as  they  went  along,  "  Baldur  is  dead ! n  The 
dull,  sad  sounds  flowed  back  on  Asgard  like  a 
new  river  of  grief,  and  it  seemed  to  the  JEsir  as  if 
they  now  wept  for  the  first  time — "  Baldur  is  dead  ! " 

"What  is  that  the  Valkyrior  are  saying?"  asked 
the  men  and  women  in  all  the  country  round, 
and  when  they  heard  rightly,  men  left  then*  labour 
and  lay  down  to  weep — women  dropped  the  buckets 
they  were  carrying  to  the  well,  and,  leaning  their 
faces  over  them,  filled  them  with  tears.  The 
children  crowded  upon  the  doorsteps,  or  sat  down 
at  the  corners  of  the  streets,  crying  as  if  their 
own  mothers  were  dead. 

The  Valkyrior  passed  on.  " Baldur  is  dead!" 
they  said  to  the  empty  fields;  and  straightway 
the  grass  and  the  wild  field-flowers  shed  tears. 
"Baldur  is  dead!"  said  the  messenger  maidens 


358  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

to  the  rocks  and  the  stones;  and  the  very  stones 
began  to  weep.  "  Baldur  is  dead  I "  the  Valkyrior 
cried;  and  even  the  old  mammoth's  bones,  which 
had  lain  for  centuries  under  the  hills,  burst  into 
tears,  so  that  small  rivers  gushed  forth  from  every 
mountain's  side.  "  Baldur  is  dead ! "  said  the  mes- 
senger maidens  as  they  swept  over  silent  sands; 
and  all  the  shells  wept  pearls.  "  Baldur  is  dead ! " 
they  cried  to  the  sea,  and  to  Jotunheim  across 
the  sea;  and  when  the  giants  understood  it,  even 
they  wept,  whilst  the  sea  rained  spray  to  heaven. 
After  this  the  Valkyrior  stepped  from  one  stone  to 
another  until  they  reached  a  rock  that  stood  alone 
in  the  middle  of  the  sea;  then,  all  together,  they 
bent  forward  over  the  edge  of  it,  stooped  down 
and  peeped  over,  that  they  might  tell  the  monsters 
of  the  deep.  "Baldur  is  dead!"  they  said;  and, 
the  sea  monsters  and  the  fish  wept  Then  the 
messenger  maidens  looked  at  one  another,  and 
said,  "  Surely  our  work  is  done."  So  they  twined 
their  arms  round  one  another's  waists,  and  set  forth 
on  the  downward  road  to  Helheim,  there  to  claim 
Baldur  from  among  the  dead. 


BALDUR. 


259 


Now  after  he  had  sent  forth  his  messenger 
maidens,  Odin  had  seated  himself  on  the  top  of 
Air  Throne  that  he  might  see  how  the  earth  re- 
ceived his  message.  At  first  he  watched  the 
Valkyrior  as  they  stepped  forth  north  and  south, 
and  east  and  west;  but  soon  the  whole  earth's 
steaming  tears  rose  up  like  a  great  cloud,  and 
hid  everything  from  him.  Then  he  looked  down 
through  the  cloud,  and  said,  "Are  you  all  weep- 
ing ? "  The  Valkyrior  heard  the  sound  of  his  voice 
as  they  went  all  together  down  the  slippery  road, 
and  they  turned  round,  stretching  out  their  arms 
towards  Air  Throne,  their  long  hair  falling  back, 
whilst,  with  choked  voices  and  streaming  eyes, 
they  answered,  "The  world  weeps,  Father  Odin; 
the  world  and  we." 

After  this  they  went  on  their  way  until  they 
came  to  the  end  of  the  cave  Gnipa,  where  Garm 
was  chained,  and  which  yawned  over  Niflheim. 
"The  world  weeps,"  they  said  one  to  another  by 
way  of  encouragement,  for  here  the  road  was  so 
dreadful;  but  just  as  they  were  about  to  pass 
through  the  mouth  of  Gnipa  they  came  upon  a 


260  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

haggard  witch  named  Thaukt,  who  sat  in  the 
entrance  with  her  back  to  them,  and  her  face  to- 
wards the  abyss.  "  Baldur  is  dead  !  Weep,  weep  !" 
said  the  messenger  maidens,  as  they  tried  to  pass 
her ;  but  Thaukt  made  answer — 

"  What  she  doth  hold, 

Let  Hela  keep ; 
For  naught  care  I, 
Though  the  world  weep, 

O'er  Baldur's  bale, 
Live  he  or  die 
With  tearless  eye^ 

Old  Thaukt  shall  wafl." 

And  with  these  words  leaped  into  Niflhcim  with 
a  yell  of  triumph. 

"Surely  that  cry  was  the  cry  of  Loki, "  said 
one  of  the  maidens ;  but  another  pointed  towards 
the  city  of  Helheim,  and  there  they  saw  the  stern 
face  of  Hela  looking  over  the  wall. 

"One  has  not  wept,"  said  the  grim  Queen, 
"and  Helheim  holds  its  own."  So  saying  she 
motioned  the  maidens  away  with  her  long,  cold 
hand. 

Then    the    Valkyrior    turned    and    fled    up    the 


BALDUR.  26j 

steep    way  to    the  foot    of   Odin's  throne,   like    a 
pale  snow-drift  that  flies  before  the  storm. 

After  this  a  strong  child,  called  Vali,  was  born 
in  the  city  of  Asgard.  He  was  the  youngest  of 
Odin's  sons — strong  and  cold  as  the  icy  January 
blast ;  but  full,  also,  as  it  is  of  the  hope  of  the  new 
year.  When  only  a  day  old  he  slew  the  blind 
Hodur  by  a  single  blow,  and  then  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life  in  trying  to  lift  the  shadow  of  death 
from  the  face  of  the  weeping  earth. 


The  death  of  Baldur  was  probably  in  the  first 
place  an  expression  of  the  decline  of  the  Summer 
sun.  At  midsummer  Freyja's  husband  forsook  her, 
at  midsummer  also  the  bright  god  begins  to  turn 
his  face  Helheim-wards.  Midsummer  day  is  observed 
in  the  North  of  Europe  under  the  name  of  Beltan, 
and  fires  are  lighted  upon  the  hills,  a  custom  which 
evidently  had  its  origin  in  a  commemoration  of 
Baldur*s  death.  Some  think  that  Baldur  and  Hodur 
typify  the  two  halves  of  the  year.  At  the  turn  of 
the  day  in  Summer  Hod  kills  Baldur,  at  the  turn  of 


262        THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

the  day  in  Winter  Vali  kills  Hodur.  Vali  was  the 
son  of  Odin  and  Rind,  a  giantess,  whose  name 
means  the  winterly  earth,  so  that  clearly  Vali  comes 
at  midwinter.  Why  the  mistletoe  should  be  used  to 
kill  Baldur  it  is  difficult  to  say.  Might  its  being  so 
weak  and  small  imply  the  very  small  beginning  of 
the  day's  decline. 

But  Baldur,  from  the  description  given  of  him 
in  the  Edda,  must  surely  be  a  personification  of 
goodness  morally,  as  well  as  the  sun  of  the  outward 
year,  and  his  not  returning  from  Helheim,  being 
retained  there  through  the  machinations  of  Loki, 
seems  to  be  a  sort  of  connecting  link  between  the 
first  sorrow  of  the  gods,  the  beginning  of  evil  and 
their  final  defeat  by  the  evil  powers  at  Ragnarok — 
the  giants  have  already  one  foot  upon  the  gods. 

The  hero  of  the  next  story  is  Tyr,  mentioned  in 
the  first  chapter  as  the  only  one  of  the  ^Esir  wtf 
could  feed  the  monster  Fenrir. 


THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR.  263 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR. 
PART  L 

THE  MIGHT  OF  ASGARD. 

I  HOPE  you  have  not  forgotten  what  I  told  you 
of  Fenrir,  Loki's  fierce  wolf-son,  whom  Odin 
brought  home  with  him  to  Asgard,  and  of  whose 
reformation,  uncouth  and  wolfish  as  he  was,  All- 
Father  entertained  some  hope,  thinking  that  the 
wholesome,  bright  air  of  Gladsheim,  the  sight  of 
the  fair  faces  of  the  Asyniur  and  the  hearing  of  the 
brave  words  which  day  by  day  fell  from  the  lips 
of  heroes,  would,  perhaps,  have  power  to  change 
the  cruel  nature  he  had  inherited  from  his  father, 


264  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

and  make  him  worthy  of  his  place  as  a  dweller 
in  the  City  of  Lords. 

To  Tyr,  the  brave  and  strong-handed,  Odin 
assigned  the  task  of  feeding  Fenrir,  and  watching 
him,  lest,  in  his  cruel  strength,  he  should  injure 
any  who  were  unable  to  defend  themselves.  And 
truly  it  was  a  grand  sight,  and  one  that  Asa  Odin 
loved,  to  see  the  two  together,  when,  in  the 
evening  after  the  feast  was  over  in  Valhalla, 
Fenrir  came  prowling  to  Tyr's  feet  to  receive  his 
food  from  the  one  hand  strong  enough  to  quell  him. 

Tyr  stood  up  in  his  calm  strength  like  a  tall, 
sheltering  rock  in  which  the  timid  sea-birds  find 
a  home;  and  Fenrir  roared  and  howled  round  him 
like  the  bitter,  destroying  wave  that  slowly  under- 
mines its  base. 

Time  passed  on.  Tyr  had  reached  the  prime  of 
his  strength;  but  Fenrir  went  on  growing,  not 
so  rapidly  as  to  awaken  fear,  as  his  brother  Jormun- 
gand  had  done,  but  slowly,  surely,  continually — a 
little  stronger  and  a  little  fiercer  every  day. 

The  ^Esir  and  the  Asyniur  had  become  accustom- 
ed to  his  presence ;  the  gentlest  lady  in  Asgard  no 


TYR  FEEDING  FENRIR. 


Page  265. 


THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR.  265 

longer  turned  away  from  the  sight  of  his  fierce 
mouth  and  fiery  eye ;  they  talked  to  each  other 
about  the  smallest  things,  and  every  daily  event 
was  commented  on  and  wondered  about;  but  no 
one  said  anything  of  Fenrir,  or  noticed  how  gradu- 
ally he  grew,  or  how  the  glad  air  and  the  strong 
food,  which  gave  valour  and  strength  to  an  Asa, 
could  only  develope  with  greater  rapidity  fierce- 
ness and  cruelty  in  a  wolf.  And  they  would  have 
gone  on  living  securely  together  while  the  monster 
grew  and  grew,  if  it  had  not  been  that  Asa  Odin's 
one  eye,  enlightened  as  it  was  by  the  upspringing 
well  of  wisdom  within,  saw  more  clearly  than  the 
eyes  of  his  brothers  and  children. 

One  evening,  as  he  stood  in  the  court  of  Val- 
halla watching  Tyr  as  he  gave  Fenrir  his  evening 
meal,  a  sudden  cloud  of  care  fell  on  the  placid 
face  of  All-Father,  and  when  the  wolf,  having 
satisfied  his  hunger,  crouched  back  to  his  lair,  he 
called  together  a  council  of  the  heads  of  the  -^Esir 
— Thor,  Tyr,  Bragi,  (  Hcenir,  Frey,  and  Niord ;  and, 
after  pointing  out  to  them  the  evil  which  they  had 

allowed    to    grow  up    among    them    unnoticed,   he 
8 


266  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

asked  their  counsel  as  to  the  best  way  of  over- 
coming it  before  it  became  too  strong  to  with- 
stand. 

Thor,  always  ready,  was  the  first  to  answer. 
"One  would  think,"  he  said,  "to  hear  the  grave 
way  in  which  you  speak,  Father  Odin,  that  there 
was  no  such  thing  as  a  smithy  near  Asgard,  or 
that  I,  Asa  Thor,  had  no  power  to  forge  mighty 
weapons,  and  had  never  made  my  name  known 
in  Jotunheim  as  the  conqueror  and  binder  of 
monsters.  Set  your  mind  at  rest  Before  to- 
morrow evening  at  this  time  I  will  have  forged 
a  chain  with  which  you  shall  bind  Fenrir;  and, 
once  bound  in  a  chain  of  my  workmanship,  there 
will  be  nothing  further  to  fear  from  him." 

The  assembled  ^Esir  applauded  Thor's  speech; 
but  the  cloud  did  not  pass  away  from  Odin's 
brow. 

"You  have  done  many  mighty  deeds,  Son  Thor," 
he  sa>d;  "but,  if  I  mistake  not,  this  binding  of 
Fenrir  will  prove  a  task  too  difficult  even  for 


fhor  made  no  answer;   but  he  seized  Miolnir, 


THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR,  267 

and,  with  sounding  steps,  strode  to  the  smithy. 
All  night  long  the  mighty  blows  of  Miolnir  rang 
on  the  anvil,  and  the  roaring  bellows  breathed  a 
hot  blast  over  all  the  hill  of  Asgard.  None  of  the 
-^Esir  slept  that  night;  but  every  now  and  then 
one  or  other  of  them  came  to  cheer  Thor  at  his 
work.  Sometimes  Frey  brought  his  bright  face 
into  the  dusky  smithy;  sometimes  Tyr  entreated 
permission  to  strike  a  stout  blow ;  sometimes 
Bragi  seated  himself  among  the  workers,  and, 
with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  glowing  iron,  poured 
forth  a  hero  song,  to  which  the  ringing  blows 
kept  time. 

There  was  also  another  guest,  who,  at  intervals, 
made  his  presence  known.  By  the  light  of  the 
fire  the  evil  form  of  Fenrir  was  seen  prowling 
round  in  the  darkness,  and  every  now  and  then 
a  fiendish,  mocking  laugh  filled  the  pauses  of  the 
song,  and  the  wind,  and  the  ringing  hammer. 

All  that  night  and  the  next  day  Thor  laboured 
and  Fenrir  watched,  and,  at  the  time  of  the 
evening  meal,  Thor  strode  triumphantly  into 
Father  Odin's  presence,  and  laid  before  him  Lae- 


268  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

ding,  the  strongest  chain  that  had  ever  yet  been 
forged  on  earth.  The  ^Esir  passed  it  from  one  to 
another,  and  wondered  at  its  immense  length,  and 
at  the  ponderous  moulding  of  its  twisted  links. 

"It  is  impossible  for  Fenrir  to  break  through 
this,"  they  said;  and  they  were  loud  in  their 
thanks  to  Thor  and  praises  of  his  prowess;  only 
Father  Odin  kept  a  grave,  sad  silence. 

When  Fenrir  came  into  the  court  to  receive 
his  food  from  Tyr,  it  was  agreed  that  Thor  and 
Tyr  were  to  seize  and  bind  him.  They  held  then- 
weapons  in  readiness,  for  they  expected  a  fierce 
struggle;  but,  to  their  surprise,  Fenrir  quietly 
allowed  the  chain  to  be  wound  round  him,  and 
lay  down  at  his  ease,  while  Thor,  with  two  strokes 
of  Miolnir,  rivetted  the  last  link  into  one  of  the 
strongest  stones  on  which  the  court  rested.  Then, 
when  the  ^Esir  were  about  to  congratulate  each 
other  on  their  victory,  he  slowly  raised  his  pon- 
derous form,  which  seemed  to  dilate  in  the  rising, 
with  one  bound  forward  snapped  the  chain  like 
a  silken  thread,  and  walked  leisurely  to  his  lair, 
as  if  no  unusual  thing  had  befallen  him. 


THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR.  269 

The  ^Esir,  with  downcast  faces,  stood  looking 
at  each  other.  Once  more  Thor  was  the  first 
to  speak.  "He  who  breaks  through  Lseding,"  he 
said,  "only  brings  upon  himself  the  still  harder 
bondage  of  Dromi."  And  having  uttered  these 
words,  he  again  lifted  Miolnir  from  the  ground, 
and,  weary  as  he  was,  returned  to  the  smithy 
and  resumed  his  place  at  the  anvil. 

For  three  days  and  nights  Thor  worked,  and, 
when  he  once  more  appeared  before  Father  Odin, 
he  carried  in  his  hand  Dromi — the  "Strong  Bind- 
ing." This  chain  exceeded  Lseding  in  strength 
by  one  half,  and  was  so  heavy  that  Asa  Thor  him- 
self staggered  under  its  weight;  and  yet  Fenrir 
showed  no  fear  of  allowing  himself  to  be  bound 
by  it,  and  it  cost  him  very  little  more  effort  than 
on  the  first  evening  to  free  himself  from  its  fetters. 

After  this  second  failure  Odin  again  called  a 
council  of  ^Esir  in  Gladsheim,  and  Thor  stood 
among  the  others,  silent  and  shamefaced. 

It  was  now  Frey  who  ventured  first  to  offer 
an  opinion.  "Thor,  Tyr,  and  other  brave  sons 
of  the  JSsir,"  he  said,  "have  passed  their  lives 


a  70  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

valiantly  in  fighting  against  giants  and  monsters, 
and,  doubtless,  much  wise  lore  has  come  to  them 
through  these  adventures.  I,  for  the  most  part, 
have  spent  my  time  peacefully  in  woods  and  fields, 
watching  how  the  seasons  follow  each  other,  and 
how  the  silent,  dewy  night  ever  leads  up  the 
brightly-smiling  day;  and,  in  this  watching,  many 
things  have  been  made  plain  to  me  which  have 
not,  perhaps,  been  thought  worthy  of  regard 
by  my  brother  Lords.  One  thing  that  I  have 
learned  is,  the  wondrous  strength  that  lies  in 
little  things,  and  that  the  labour  carried  on 
in  darkness  and  silence  ever  brings  forth  the 
grandest  birth.  Thor  and  Miolnir  have  failed  to 
forge  a  chain  strong  enough  to  bind  Fenrir; 
but,  since  we  cannot  be  helped  by  the  mighty 
and  renowned,  let  us  turn  to  the  unknown  and 
weak. 

"In  the  caverns  and  dim  places  of  the  earth 
live  a  tiny  race  of  people,  who  are  always  working 
with  unwearied,  noiseless  fingers.  With  Asa  Odin's 
permission,  I  will  send  my  messenger,  Skirnir,  and 
entreat  aid  of  them;  and  we  shall,  perhaps,  find 


THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR.  271 

that    what    passes    the    might    of   Asgard  may  be 
accomplished  in  the  secret  places  of  Svartheim." 

The  face  of  Asa  Odin  brightened  as  Frey  spoke, 
and,  rising  immediately  from  his  seat,  he  broke 
up  the  council,  and  entreated  Frey  to  lose  no 
time  in  returning  to  Alfheim  and  despatching 
Skimir  on  his  mission* 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


PARTH, 

THE  SECRET  OF  SVARTHEIM. 

IN  spite  of  the  cloud  that  hung  over  Asgard 
all  was  fair  and  peaceful  in  Alfheim.  Gerda, 
the  radiant  Alf  Queen,  made  there  perpetual 
sunshine  with  her  bright  face.  The  little  elves 
loved  her,  and  fluttered  round  her,  keeping  up 
a  continual  merry  chatter,  which  sounded  through 
the  land  like  the  sharp  ripple  of  a  brook  over 
stony  places;  and  Gerda  answered  them  in  low, 
sweet  tones,  as  the  answering  wind  sounds  among 
the  trees. 

These  must  have  been  pleasant  sounds  to  hear 
after  the  ringing  of  Miolnir  and  the  howling  of 
Fcnrir;  but  Frey  hardly  gave  himself  time  to 


THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR. 


273 


greet  Gerd  and  his  elves  before  he  summoned 
Skirnir  into  his  presence,  and  acquainted  him  with 
the  danger  that  hung  over  Asgard,  and  the  im- 
portant mission  which  the  JEsir  had  determined  to 
trust  to  his  sagacity.  Skirnir  listened,  playing 
with  the  knot  of  his  wondrous  sword,  as  he  was 
wont  to  do,  in  order  to  make  known  to  every  one 
that  he  possessed  it ;  for,  to  confess  the  truth,  it 
was  somewhat  too  heavy  for  him  to  wield. 

"This  is  a  far  different  mission,"  he  said,  "from 
that  on  which  you  once  sent  me — to  woo  fairest 
Gerd;  but,  as  the  welfare  of  Asgard  requires  it, 
I  will  depart  at  once,  though  I  have  little  liking 
for  the  dark  caves  and  cunning  people." 

Frey  thanked  him,  and,  putting  a  small  key 
into  his  hand,  which  was,  indeed,  the  key  to  the 
gate  of  Svartheim,  he  bade  him  farewell,  and  Skirnir 
set  out  on  his  journey. 

The  road  from  Alfheim  to  Svartheim  is  not 
as  long  as  you  would  be  apt  to  imagine.  Indeed, 
it  is  possible  for  a  careless  person  to  wander  from 
one  region  to  another  without  being  at  once  aware 
of  it.  Skirnir,  having  the  key  in  his  hand,  took 


274  THE  HEKOES  OF  ASGARD. 

the  direct  way.  The  entrance-gate  stands  at  the 
opening  of  a  dim  mountain-cave.  Skirnir  left 
his  horse  without,  and  entered ;  the  air  was  heavy, 
moist,  and  warm,  and  it  required  the  keenest 
glances  of  SkirmYs  keen  eyes  to  see  his  way.  In- 
numerable narrow,  winding  paths,  all  leading  down- 
wards, opened  themselves  before  him.  As  he  fol- 
lowed the  widest,  a  faint  clinking  sound  of  ham- 
mers met  his  ear,  and,  looking  round,  he  saw 
groups  of  little  men  at  work  on  every  side.  Some 
were  wheeling  small  wheelbarrows  full  of  lumps 
of  shining  metal  along  the  ledges  of  the  rock : 
some,  with  elfin  pickaxes  and  spades,  were  digging 
ore  from  the  mountain-side;  some,  herded  together 
in  little  caves,  were  busy  kindling  fires,  or  working 
with  tiny  hammers  on  small  anvils.  As  he  con- 
tinued his  downward  path  the  last  remnant  of 
daylight  faded  away ;  but  he  was  not  in  total  dark- 
ness, for  now  he  perceived  that  each  worker  carried 
on  his  head  a  lantern,  in  which  burned  a  pale, 
dancing  light.  Skirnir  knew  that  each  light  was 
a  Will-o'-the-wisp,  which  the  dwarf  who  carried  it 
had  caught  and  imprisoned  to  light  him  in  his 


THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR.  275 

work   during  the   day,   and  which  he  must  restore 
to  the  earth  at  night 

For  many  miles  Skirnir  wandered  on  lower  and 
lower.  On  every  side  of  him  lay  countless  heaps 
of  treasure — gold,  silver,  diamonds,  rubies,  emeralds 
— which  the  cunning  workers  stowed  away  silently 
in  their  dark  hiding-places.  At  length  he  came 
to  the  very  middle  of  the  mountain,  where  the 
rocky  roof  rose  to  an  immense  height,  and  where 
he  found  himself  in  a  brilliantly-lighted  palace. 
Here,  in  truth,  were  hung  all  the  lights  in  the 
world,  which,  on  dark,  moonless  nights,  are  carried 
out  by  dwarfs  to  deceive  the  eyes  of  men.  Corpse- 
lights,  Will-o'-the-wisps,  the  sparks  from  glow- 
worms' tails,  the  light  in  fire-flies'  wings — these, 
carefully  hung  up  hi  tiers  round  and  round  the 
hall,  illuminated  the  palace  with  a  cold  blue  light, 
and  revealed  to  Skirnir's  eyes  the  grotesque  and 
hideous  shapes  of  the  tiny  beings  around  him. 
Hump-backed,  cunning-eyed,  open-mouthed,  they 
stood  round,  laughing,  and  whispering,  and  pointing 
with  shrivelled  fingers.  One  among  them,  a  little 
taller  than  the  rest,  who  sat  on  a  golden  seat 


276  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

thickly  set  with  diamonds,  appeared  to  be  a  kind 
of  chief  among  them,  and  to  him  Skirnir  addressed 
his  message. 

Cunning  and  wicked  as  these  dwarfs  were,  they 
entertained  a  wholesome  fear  of  Odin,  having  never 
forgotten  their  one  interview  with  him  in  Glad- 
sheim ;  and,  therefore,  when  they  heard  from  whom 
Skirnir  came,  with  many  uncouth  gesticulations 
they  bowed  low  before  him,  and  declared  them- 
selves willing  to  obey  All-Father's  commands. 
They  asked  for  two  days  and  two  nights  in  which 
to  complete  their  task,  and  during  that  time 
Skirnir  remained  then*  guest  in  Svartheim. 

He  wandered  about,  and  saw  strange  sights.  He 
saw  the  great  earth  central  fire,  and  the  swarthy, 
withered  race,  whose  task  it  is  ceaselessly  to  feed 
it  with  fuel;  he  saw  the  diamond-makers,  who 
change  the  ashes  of  the  great  fire  into  brilliants; 
and  the  dwarfs,  whose  business  it  is  to  fill  the 
cracks  in  the  mountain-sides  with  pure  veins  of 
silver  and  gold,  and  lead  them  up  to  places  where 
they  will  one  day  meet  the  eyes  of  men.  Nearer 
the  surface  he  visited  the  workers  in  iron  and  the 


THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR. 


377 


makers  of  salt-mines;  he  drank  of  their  strange- 
tasting  mineral  waters,  and  admired  the  splendour 
of  their  silver-roofed  temples  and  dwellings  of 
solid  gold. 

At  the  end  of  two  days  Skirnir  re-entered  the 
audience-hall,  and  then  the  chief  of  the  dwarfs 
put  into  his  hand  a  slender  chain.  You  can 
imagine  what  size  it  was  when  I  tell  you  that  the 
dwarf  chief  held  it  lightly  balanced  on  his  fore- 
finger; and  when  it  rested  on  Skirnir's  hand  it 
felt  to  him  no  heavier  than  a  piece  of  thistle- 
down. 

The  Svart  King  laughed  loud  when  he  saw  the 
disappointment  on  Skirnir's  face.  "  It  seems  to 
you  a  little  thing,"  he  said;  "and  yet  I  assure 
you  that  in  making  it  we  have  used  up  all  the 
materials  in  the  whole  world  fit  for  the  purpose. 
No  such  chain  can  ever  be  made  again,  neither 
will  the  least  atom  of  the  substances  of  which  it 
is  made  be  found  more.  It  is  fashioned  out  of 
six  things.  The  noise  made  by  the  footfall  of  cats ; 
the  beards  of  women;  the  roots  of  stones;  the 
sinews  of  bears;  the  breath  of  fish;  and  the  spittle 


278  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

of  birds.  Fear  not  with  this  to  bind  Fenrir;  for 
no  stronger  chain  will  ever  be  made  till  the  end 
of  the  world." 

Skirnir  now  looked  with  wonder  at  his  chain, 
and,  after  having  thanked  the  dwarfs,  and  promised 
to  bring  them  a  reward  from  Odin,  he  set  forth 
on  his  road  home,  and,  by  the  time  of  the  evening 
meal,  reached  Valhalla,  and  gladdened  the  hearts 
of  the  ,/Esir  by  the  tidings  of  his  success* 


THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR. 


PART  IIL 

HONOUR. 

FAR  away  to  the  north  of  Asgard,  surrounded  by 
frowning  mountains,  the  dark  lake,  Amsvartnir, 
lies,  and,  above  the  level  of  its  troubled  waters, 
burns  Lyngvi,  the  island  of  sweet  broom,  flaming 
like  a  jewel  on  the  dark  brow  of  Hela.  In  this 
lonely  isle,  to  which  no  ship  but  Skidbladnir  could 
sail,  the  ^Esir,  with  Fenrir  in  the  midst,  assembled 
to  try  the  strength  of  the  dwarfs'  chain. 

Fenrir  prowled  round  his  old  master,  Tyr,  with 
a  look  of  savage  triumph  in  his  cruel  eyes, 
now  licking  the  hand  that  had  so  long  fed  him, 
and  now  shaking  his  great  head,  and  howling 
defiantly.  The  yEsir  stood  at  the  foot  of  Gioll, 


28o  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

the  sounding  rock,  and  passed  Gleipnir,  the  chain, 
from  one  to  another,  talking  about  it,  while  Fenrii 
listened.  "It  was  much  stronger  than  it  looked," 
they  said ;  and  Thor  and  Tyr  vied  with  each  other 
in  their  efforts  to  break  it;  while  Bragi  declared 
his  belief  that  there  was  no  one  among  JEsir  or 
giants  capable  of  performing  so  great  a  feat,  "  unless," 
he  added,  "  it  should  be  you,  Fenrir." 

This  speech  roused  the  pride  of  Fenrir;  and, 
after  looking  long  at  the  slender  chain  and  the 
faces  of  the  ^Esir,  he  answered,  "Loath  am  I  to 
be  bound  by  this  chain;  but,  lest  you  should 
doubt  my  courage,  I  will  consent  that  you  should 
bind  me,  provided  one  of  you  put  his  hand  into 
my  mouth  as  a  pledge  that  no  deceit  is  in- 
tended." 

There  was  a  moment's  silence  among  the  JEsu 
when  they  heard  this,  and  they  looked  at  one 
another.  Odin  looked  at  Thor,  and  Thor  looked 
at  Bragi,  and  Frey  fell  behind,  and  put  his  hand 
to  his  side,  where  the  all-conquering  sword,  which 
he  alone  could  wield,  no  longer  rested. 

At    length    Tyr    stepped    forward    valiantly,   and 


THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR.  28l 

put  his  strong  right  hand,  with  which  he  had  so 
often  fed  him,  into  the  wolfs  cruel  jaws. 

At  this  signal  the  other  ^Esir  threw  the  chain 
round  the  monster's  neck,  bound  him  securely  with 
one  end,  and  fastened  the  other  to  the  great 
rock  Gioll.  When  he  was  bound  Fenrir  rose,  and 
shook  himself,  as  he  had  done  before;  but  in 
vain  he  raised  himself  up,  and  bounded  forward — 
the  more  he  struggled  the  more  firmly  the  slender 
chain  bound  him. 

At  this  sight  the  ^Esir  set  up  a  loud  shout  of 
joy;  for  they  saw  their  enemy  conquered,  and  the 
danger  that  threatened  Asgard  averted.  Only  Tyr 
was  silent,  for  in  the  struggle  he  had  lost  his  hand. 

Then  Thor  thrust  his  sword  into  the  mouth  of 
Fenrir,  and  a  foaming  dark  flood  burst  forth,  roared 
down  the  rock  and  under  the  lake,  and  began  its 
course  through  the  country  a  turbid  river.  So 
it  will  roll  on  till  Ragnarok  be  come. 

The  sails  of  Skidbladnir  now  spread  themselves 
out  to  the  wind;  and  the  ^Esir,  seated  in  the 
magic  ship,  floated  over  the  lake  silently  in  the 
silent  moonlight;  while,  from  the  top  of  Bifrost, 

T 


28 a  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

over  the  Urda  fount  and  the  dwelling  of  the  Norns, 
a  song  floated  down.     "  Who,"  asked  one  voice,  "  of 
all   the  ^Esir  has  won   the  highest  honour?"  and, 
singing,  another  voice  made  answer,  "Tyr  has  won 
the   highest  honour;  for,  of  all   the  ^Esir,  he  has 
the  most  worthily  employed  his  gift." 
"  Frey  gave  his  sword  for  fairest  Gerd." 
"  Odin  bought  for  himself  wisdom  at  the  price  of 
his  right  eye." 

"  Tyr,  not  for  himself,  but  for  others,  has  sacrificed 
his  strong  right  hand." 


The  wolf  Fenrir  is  annihilation;  he  was  destined 
to  swallow  the  chief  of  the  gods  at  Ragnarok. 
We  see  him  here  as  destruction  chained  until  his 
time  for  mischief  should  come  again — the  destructive 
side  of  nature  morally  and  physically  is  personified 
in  him.  Why  the  dwarfs  should  be  able  to  make  a 
chain  strong  enough  to  bind  him,  which  the  gods  had 
failed  to  do,  is  a  puzzle.  May  it  mean  that  subtlety 
can  compass  ends  which  force  has  to  relinquish. 
or  possibly  a  better  thing  than  subtlety,  gentleness  ? 


THE  BINDING  OF  FENRIR.  283 

Tyr,  who  plays  an  important  part  in  this  myth, 
was  the  son  of  Odin  and  a  giantess.  His  name 
means  "Shining;"  at  one  time  he  was  probably  a 
chief  of  gods.  He  is  also  a  sort  of  war  god,  something 
like  Thor,  a  finer  hero,  though,  by  a  long  way.  Har 
says  of  him,  "  he  is  the  most  daring  and  intrepid  of 
the  gods,  hence  a  man  who  surpasses  all  others 
in  valour  is  called  Tyr-strong."  His  having  only 
one  hand  refers  partly  to  his  character  of  war  god, 
and  means  that  the  victory  can  only  be  awarded  to 
one  side.  "  Thou  never  couldst  settle  a  strife  betwixt 
two,"  was  said  to  his  shame,  and,  we  may  add,  to 
that  of  all  war  gods  for  ever. 

Tyr  gives  his  name  to  Tuesday,  as  Odin  to 
Wednesday,  Thor  to  Thursday,  and  Freyja  or  Frigga 
to  Friday.  Some  suggest  that  Loki  is  the  patron  of 
Saturday.  He — Loki — forms  the  subject  of  the 
next  chapter. 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  LOKI.  285 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  LOKI. 

AFTER  the  death  of  Baldur,  Loki  never  again  ven- 
tured to  intrude  himself  into  the  presence  of  the 
JEsir.  He  knew  well  enough  that  he  had  now  done 
what  could  never  be  forgiven  him,  and  that,  for  the 
future,  he  must  bend  all  his  cunning  and  vigilance 
to  the  task  of  hiding  himself  for  ever  from  the  eyes 
of  those  whom  he  had  so  injured,  and  escaping  the 
just  punishment  he  had  brought  upon  himself. 

The  world  is  large,  and  I  am  very  cunning,  said 
Loki  to  himself,  as  he  turned  his  back  upon  Asgard, 
and  wandered  out  into  Manheim ;  there  is  no  end 
to  the  thick  woods,  and  no  measure  for  the  deep 
waters ;  neither  is  there  any  possibility  of  counting  the 


286  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

various  forms  under  which  I  shall  disguise  myself. 
All-Father  will  never  be  able  to  find  me;  I  have 
no  cause  to  fear.  But,  though  Loki  repeated  this 
over  and  over  again  to  himself,  he  was  afraid. 

He  wandered  far  into  the  thick  woods,  and 
covered  himself  with  the  deep  waters ;  he  climbed 
to  the  tops  of  misty  hills,  and  crouched  in  the 
dark  of  hollow  caves;  but  above  the  wood,  and 
through  the  water,  and  down  into  the  darkness,  a 
single  ray  of  calm,  clear  light  seemed  always  to 
follow  him,  and  he  knew  that  it  came  from  the 
eye  of  All-Father,  who  was  watching  him  from 
Air  Throne. 

Then  he  tried  to  escape  the  judging  eye  by 
disguising  himself  under  various  shapes.  Some- 
times he  was  an  eagle  on  a  lonely  mountain-crag; 
sometimes  he  hid  himself  as  one  among  a  troop 
of  timid  reindeer;  sometimes  he  lay  in  the  nest 
of  a  wood-pigeon ;  sometimes  he  swam,  a  bright- 
spotted  fish,  in  the  sea ;  but,  wherever  he 
was,  among  living  creatures,  or  alone  with  dead 
nature,  everything  seemed  to  know  him,  and  to  find 
some  voice  in  which  to  say  to  him,  You  are 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  LOKI.  287 

Loki,  and  you  have  killed  Baldur.  Air,  earth, 
or  water,  there  was  no  rest  for  him  anywhere. 

Tired  at  last  of  seeking  what  he  could  nowhere 
find,  Loki  built  himself  a  house  by  the  side  of  a 
narrow,  glittering  river  which,  at  a  lower  point, 
flashed  down  from  a  high  rock  into  the  sea  below. 
He  took  care  that  his  house  should  have  four  doors 
in  it,  that  he  might  look  out  on  every  side,  and  catch 
the  first  glimpse  of  the  JEsir  when  they  came,  as 
he  knew  they  would  come,  to  take  him  away. 
Here  his  wife,  Siguna,  and  his  two  sons,  Ali  and 
Nari,  came  to  live  with  him. 

Siguna  was  a  kind  woman,  far  too  good  and 
kind  for  Loki.  She  felt  sorry  for  him  now  that 
she  saw  he  was  in  great  fear,  and  that  every  living 
thing  had  turned  against  him,  and  she  would  have 
hidden  him  from  the  just  anger  of  the  JEsir  if 
she  could ;  but  the  two  sons  cared  little  about  their 
father's  dread  and  danger;  they  spent  all  their 
time  in  quarrelling  with  each  other ;  and  their  loud, 
angry  voices,  sounding  above  the  waterfall,  would 
speedily  have  betrayed  the  hiding-place,  even  if  All- 
Father's  piercing  eye  had  not  already  discovered  it 


283  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

If  only  the  children  would  be  quiet,  Siguna  used 
to  say  anxiously  every  day ;  but  Loki  said  nothing ; 
he  was  beginning  to  know  by  experience  that  there 
was  that  about  his  children  that  could  never  be 
kept  quiet  or  hidden  away. 

At  last,  one  day  when  he  was  sitting  in  the 
middle  of  his  house  looking  alternately  out  of  all 
the  four  doors,  and  amusing  himself  as  well  as  he 
could  by  making  a  fishing  net,  he  spied  in  the 
distance  the  whole  company  of  the  ^Esir  approach- 
ing his  house.  The  sight  of  them  coming  all 
together — beautiful,  and  noble,  and  free — pierced 
Loki  with  a  pang  that  was  worse  than  death.  He 
rose  without  daring  to  look  again,  threw  his  net 
on  a  fire  that  burned  on  the  floor,  and,  rushing  to 
the  side  of  the  little  river,  he  turned  himself  into 
a  salmon,  swam  down  to  the  deepest,  stillest  pool 
at  the  bottom,  and  hid  himself  between  two  stones. 
The  ^Esir  entered  the  house,  and  looked  all  round 
in  vain  for  Loki,  till  Kvasir,  one  of  Odin's  sons, 
famous  for  his  keen  sight,  spied  out  the  remains 
of  the  fishing-net  in  the  fire;  then  Odin  knew  at 
once  that  there  was  a  river  near,  and  that  it  was 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  LOKI.  289 

there  where  Loki  had  hidden  himself.  He  ordered 
his  sons  to  make  a  fresh  net,  and  to  cast  it  into 
the  water,  and  drag  out  whatever  living  thing  they 
could  find  there.  It  was  done  as  he  desired.  Thor 
held  one  end  of  the  net,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  JEsir 
drew  the  other  through  the  water.  When  they 
pulled  it  up  the  first  time,  however,  it  was  empty,  and 
they  would  have  gone  away  disappointed,  had  not 
Kvasir,  looking  earnestly  at  the  meshes  of  the  net, 
discovered  that  something  living  had  certainly  touched 
them.  They  then  added  a  weight  to  the  net,  and 
threw  it  with  such  force  that  it  reached  the  bottom 
of  the  river,  and  dragged  up  the  stones  in  the  pool. 
Loki  now  saw  the  danger  he  was  in  of  being 
caught  in  the  net,  and,  as  there  was  no  other  way 
of  escape,  he  rose  to  the  surface,  swam  down  the 
river  as  quickly  as  he  could,  and  leaped  over  the 
net  into  the  waterfall.  He  swam  and  leaped  quickly 
as  a  flash  of  lightning,  but  not  so  quickly  but  that 
the  ^Esir  saw  him,  knew  him  through  his  disguise, 
and  resolved  that  he  should  no  longer  escape  them. 
They  divided  into  two  bands.  Thor  waded  down 
the  river  to  the  waterfall;  the  other  ^Esir  stood 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


in  a  group  below.  Loki  swam  backwards  and 
forwards  between  them.  Now  he  thought  he  would 
dart  out  into  the  sea,  and  now  that  he  would  spring 
over  the  net  back  again  into  the  river.  This  last 
seemed  the  readiest  way  of  escape,  and,  with  the 
greatest  speed,  he  attempted  it  Thor,  however, 
was  watching  for  him,  and,  as  soon  as  Loki  leaped 
out  of  the  water,  he  stretched  out  his  hand,  and 
caught  him  while  he  was  yet  turning  in  the  air. 
Loki  wriggled  his  slippery,  slimy  length  through 
Thor*s  fingers;  but  the  Thunderer  grasped  him 
tightly  by  the  tail,  and,  holding  him  in  this  manner 
in  his  hand,  waded  to  the  shore.  There  Father 
Odin  and  the  other  ^Esir  met  him ;  and,  at  Odin's 
first  searching  look,  Loki  was  obliged  to  drop  his 
disguise,  and,  cowering  and  frightened,  to  stand 
in  his  proper  shape  before  the  assembled  Lords. 
One  by  one  they  turned  their  faces  from  him;  for, 
in  looking  at  him,  they  seemed  to  see  over  again 
the  death  of  Baldur  the  Beloved. 

I  told  you  that  there  were  high  rocks  looking 
over  the  sea  not  far  from  Loki's  house.  One 
of  these,  higher  than  the  rest,  had  midway  four 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  LOKI.  391 

projecting  stones,  and  to  these  the  ^Esir  resolved 
to  bind  Loki  in  such  a  manner  that  he  should 
never  again  be  able  to  torment  the  inhabitants 
of  Manheim  or  Asgard  by  his  evil-doings.  Thor 
proposed  to  return  to  Asgard,  to  bring  a  chain 
with  which  to  bind  the  prisoner ;  but  Odin  assured 
him  that  he  had  no  need  to  take  such  a  journey, 
"Loki,"  he  said,  "has  already  forged  for  himself 
a  chain  stronger  than  any  you  can  make.  While  we 
have  been  occupied  in  catching  him,  his  two  sons, 
Ali  and  Nan,  transformed  into  wolves  by  their  evil 
passions,  have  fought  with,  and  destroyed,  each  other. 
With  their  sinews  we  must  make  a  chain  to  bind 
their  father,  and  from  that  he  can  never  escape." 

It  was  done  as  Asa  Odin  said.  A  rope  was 
made  of  the  dead  wolves'  sinews,  and,  as  soon  as  it 
touched  Loki's  body,  it  turned  into  bands  of  iron, 
and  bound  him  immoveably  to  the  rock.  Secured 
in  this  manner  the  JEsir  left  him. 

But  his  punishment  did  not  end  here.  A 
snake,  whose  fangs  dropped  venom,  glided  to  the 
top  of  the  rock,  and  leaned  his  head  over  to  peer 
at  Ix>kL  The  eyes  of  the  two  met  and  fixed 


»92  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


each  other.  The  serpent  could  never  move  away 
afterwards ;  but  every  moment  a  burning  drop  from 
his  tongue  fell  down  on  Loki's  shuddering  face. 

In  all  the  world  there  was  only  one  who 
pitied  him.  His  kind  wife  ever  afterwards  stood 
beside  him,  and  held  a  cup  over  his  head  to  catch 
the  poison.  When  the  cup  was  full,  she  was 
obliged  to  turn  away  to  empty  it,  and  drops  of 
poison  fell  again  on  Loki's  face.  He  shuddered 
and  shrank  from  it,  and  the  whole  earth  trembled 
So  will  he  lie  bound  till  Ragnarok  be  come. 


Loki,  as  we  have  seen  all  along,  whatever  his 
origin  may  have  been,  had  come  to  mean  evil  by 
the  time  these  nyths  were  formed, — the  destructive 
principle,  the  originator  of  all  corruption — as,  father 
of  devouring  Hel,  of  Fenrir,  the  wolf  annihilator,  and 
of  Jormungand,  the  universal  wolf.  There  is  a  curious 
story  in  one  of  the  Eddas  about  a  feast  which  the 
King  of  the  Sea  gave  to  the  gods.  By  the  way,  one 
song  says  of  ^Egir,  "  Sat  the  Rock-dweller,  glad  as  a 
child:"  which  is  the  introduction  to  another  feast  he 


THE    PUNISHMENT   OF   LOKI. 


Page  292. 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  LOKI. 


gave  the  gods.  If  he  began  by  being  glad  on  this 
latter  occasion,  expecting  a  happy  entertainment,  he 
must  have  had  a  grievous  disappointment,  for  Loki, 
bent  on  mischief,  would  insist  upon  feasting  with  the 
^Esir.  Things  rarely  went  well  where  Loki  was, 
which  the  gods  knew  and  begged  him  not  to  come. 
But  Loki  would  come,  and  directly  he  was  seated 
at  the  table  he  began  his  mischief-making,  doing  his 
best  to  make  the  gods  quarrel  with  one  another, 
insulting  them  by  turns,  reminding  each  of  some  fault 
or  misfortune  least  pleasant  to  remember.  Altogether 
it  must  have  been  a  most  uncomfortable  dinner- 
party. At  last  Thor,  who  had  been  on  a  journey, 
came  back;  and,  after  a  good  deal  of  abuse  had 
passed  between  him  and  Loki,  the  latter  appeared 
to  take  alarm  and  slank  away  from  his  enraged 
companions.  One  account  says  that  it  was  immedi- 
ately after  this  the  gods  caught  Loki  and  bound  him, 
but  another  does  not  mention  his  capture  in  connec- 
tion with  ^Egir's  feast.  Simrock  says  that  Loki,  in 
his  character  of  accuser  at  this  banquet,  represents 
the  guilty  conscience  of  the  gods.  From  this  he 
becomes  the  guilty  conscience  itself,  a  personification 


294  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGAP*>. 


of  the  consciousness  of  sin.  His  attempts  at  con 
cealment,  the  four  doors  of  his  house  placed  every 
way  that  he  might  be  alert  in  descrying  danger,  his 
making  the  net  by  which  he  was  caught  (for  the 
JEsii  were  said  to  copy  the  net  which  they  found 
in  Loki's  house),  his  being  bound  with  the  entrails 
of  his  own  children — results  of  evil  deeds — ajl  carry 
out  this  idea.  He  is,  says  Simrock,  the  Bad  itself 
as  well  as  the  consciousness  of  it  He  is  sin  chained 
as  Fenrir  is  destruction  chained.  The  gods  ar* 
moral  power,  they  are  his  chains,  for  it  is  said  that 
when  he  shudders  they  tremble.  And  yet,  how 
real  he  has  become  in  this  myth,  so  much  a  person 
that  we  can  scarcely  help  wishing  him  to  escape  by 
means  of  his  ingenious  disguises,  and  are  certainly 
glad  that  at  last  some  one  is  left  to  pity  him — the 
faithful  wife,  standing  by,  who  wards  off  from  him 
so  much  of  his  punishment 

We  now  come  to  Ragnarok;  and  "first,"  as  Har 
said,  "there  will  come  a  winter."  But  that  is  not 
exactly  how  we  tell  the  story. 


XAGNAROK. 


CHAPTER  IX 

RAGNAROK,   OR  THE  TWILIGHT  OF 
THE   GODa 

SINCE  the  day  that  Baldur  died  no  one  had  walked 
in  the  bright  halls  of  Broadblink — no  one  had 
even  stepped  through  the  expanded  gates.  Instead 
of  imdimmed  brightness,  a  soft,  luminous  mist  now 
hung  over  the  palace  of  the  dead  Asa,  and  the 
Asyniur  whispered  to  one  another  that  it  was  haunted 
by  wild  dreams. 

"I  have  seen  them/'  Freyja  used  to  say;  "I 
have  seen  them  float  in  at  sunset  through  the 
palace  windows  and  the  open  doors ;  every  evening  I 


296  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

can  trace  their  slight  forms  through  the  rosy 
mist;  and  I  know  that  those  dreams  are  wild  and 
strange  from  the  shuddering  that  I  feel  when  I 
look  at  them,  or  if  ever  they  glance  at  me." 

So  the  Asyniur  never  went  into  Broadblinkj  and 
though  the  JEsir  did  not  think  much  about  the 
dreams,  they  never  went  there  either. 

But  one  day  it  happened  that  Odin  stood  in  the 
opening  of  the  palace  gates  at  sunset.  The  evening 
was  clear  and  calm,  and  he  stood  watching  the 
western  sky  until  its  crimson  faded  into  soft 
blue  grey;  then  the  colours  of  the  flowers  began 
to  mix  one  with  another — only  the  tall  white  and 
yellow  blossoms  stood  out  alone — the  distance 
became  more  dim.  It  was  twilight,  and  there  was 
silence  over  the  earth  whilst  the  night  and  the 
evening  drew  near  to  one  another.  Then  a  young 
dream  came  floating  through  the  gates  into  Broad- 
blink.  Her  sisters  were  already  there ;  but  she  had 
only  just  been  born,  and,  as  she  passed  Odin,  she 
touched  him  with  a  light  hand,  and  drew  him  along 
with  her  into  the  palace.  She  led  him  into  the 
same  hall  in  which  Baldnr  had  breamed,  and  there 


RAGNAROK. 


Odin  saw  the  night  sky  above  him,  and  the  broad 
branches  of  Yggdrasil  swaying  in  the  breeze.  The 
Norns  stood  under  the  great  ash ;  the  golden  threads 
had  dropped  from  their  fingers ;  and  Urd  and  Ver- 
dandi  stood  one  on  each  side  of  Skuld,  who  was 
still  veiled.  For  a  long  time  the  three  stood 
motionless,  but  at  length  Urd  and  Verdandi  raised 
each  a  cold  hand,  and  lifted  the  veil  slowly  from 
Skuld's  face.  Odin  looked  breathlessly  within  the 
veil,  and  the  eyes  of  Skuld  dilated  as  he  looked, 
grew  larger  and  larger,  melted  into  one  another, 
and,  at  last,  expanded  into  boundless  space. 

In  the  midst  of  space  lay  the  world,  with  its 
long  shores,  and  vast  oceans,  ice  mountains,  and 
green  plains;  ^Esirland  in  the  midst,  with  Man- 
heim  all  round  it;  then  the  wide  sea,  and,  far  off, 
the  frost-bound  shores  of  Jotunheim.  Sometimes 
there  was  night  and  sometimes  day;  summer  and 
winter  gave  place  to  one  another ;  and  Odin  watched 
the  seasons  as  they  changed,  rejoiced  in  the  sun- 
shine, and  looked  calmly  over  the  night 

But    at    last,   during    one  sunrise,   a  wolf   came 

out  of   Jarnvid,  and    began  to    howl  at  the  sun. 
u 


298  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

The  sun  did  not  seem  to  heed  him,  but  walked 
majestically  up  the  sky  to  her  mid-day  point;  then 
the  wolf  began  to  run  after  her,  and  chased  her 
down  the  sky  again  to  the  low  west.  There  the 
sun  opened  her  bright  eye  wide,  and  turned  round 
at  bay;  but  the  wolf  came  close  up  to  her,  and 
opened  his  mouth,  and  swallowed  her  up.  The 
earth  shuddered,  and  the  moon  rose.  Another 
wolf  was  waiting  for  the  moon  with  wide  jaws 
open,  and,  while  yet  pale  and  young,  he,  too,  was 
devoured.  The  earth  shuddered  again;  it  was 
covered  with  cold  and  darkness,  while  frost  and 
snow  came  driving  from  the  four  corners  of  heaven. 
Winter  and  night,  winter  and  night,  there  was 
now  nothing  but  winter. 

A  dauntless  eagle  sat  upon  the  height  of  the 
Giantess'  Rock,  and  began  to  strike  his  harp. 
Then  a  light  red  cock  crowed  over  the  Bird  Wood. 
A  gold-combed  cock  crowed  over  Asgard,  and  over 
Helheim  a  cock  of  sooty  red.  From  a  long  way 
underground  Garm  began  to  howl,  and  at  last 
Fenrir  broke  loose  from  his  rock-prison,  and  ran 
forth  over  the  whole  earth.  Then  brother  con- 


RAGNAROK.  299 


tended  with  brother,  and  war  had  no  bounds.     A 
hard  age  was  that. 

"  An  axe  age, 

A  sword  age, 
Shields  oft  cleft  in  twain  f 

A  storm  age, 

A  wolf  age, 
Ere  the  earth  met  its  doom.* 

Confusion  rioted  in  the  darkness.  At  length 
Heimdall  ran  up  Bifrost,  and  blew  his  Giallar 
horn,  whose  sound  went  out  into  all  worlds,  and 
Yggdrasil,  the  might  ash,  was  shaken  from  its 
root  to  its  summit.  After  this  Odin  saw  himself 
ride  forth  from  Asgard  to  consult  Mimer  at  the 
Well  of  Wisdom.  Whilst  he  was  there  Jormun- 
gand  turned  mightily  in  his  place,  and  began  to 
plough  the  ocean,  which  caused  it  to  swell  over 
every  shore,  so  that  the  world  was  covered  with 
water  to  the  base  of  its  high  hills.  Then  the 
ship  Naglfar  was  seen  coming  over  the  sea  with 
its  prow  from  the  east,  and  the  giant  Hrym  was  the 
steersman. 
All  Jotunheim  resounded,  and  the  dwarfs  stood 


3oo 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


moaning  before  their  stony  doors.  Then  heaven 
was  cleft  in  twain,  and  a  flood  of  light  streamed 
down  upon  the  dark  earth.  The  sons  of  Muspell, 
the  sons  of  fire,  rode  through  the  breach,  and  at 
the  head  of  them  rode  the  swarth  Surt,  their 
leader,  before  and  behind  whom  fire  raged,  and 
whose  sword  outshone  the  sun.  He  led  his  flaming 
bands  from  heaven  to  earth  over  Bifrost,  and  the 
tremulous  bridge  broke  in  pieces  beneath  their 
tread.  Then  the  earth  shuddered  again;  even 
giantesses  stumbled;  and  men  trod  the  way  to 
Helheim  in  such  crowds  that  Garm  was  sated  with 
their  blood,  broke  loose,  and  came  up  to  earth  to 
look  upon  the  living.  Confusion  rioted,  and  Odin 
saw  himself,  at  the  head  of  all  the  ^Esir,  ride 
over  the  tops  of  the  mountains  to  Vigrid,  the 
high,  wide  battle-field,  where  the  giants  were  already 
assembled,  headed  by  Fenrir,  Garm,  Jormungand, 
and  Loki.  Surtur  was  there,  too,  commanding  the 
sons  of  fire,  whom  he  had  drawn  up  in  several 
shining  bands  on  a  distant  part  of  the  plain. 

Then  the  great  battle   began   in   earnest     First, 
Odin    went    forth    against    Fenrir,   who    came    on, 


RAGNAROK.  301 


opening  his  enormous  mouth;  the  lower  jaw 
reached  to  the  earth,  the  upper  one  to  heaven, 
and  would  have  reached  further  had  there  been 
space  to  admit  of  it  Odin  and  Fenrir  fought  for 
a  little  while  only,  and  then  Fenrir  swallowed  the 
^Esir's  Father ;  but  Vidar  stepped  forward,  and,  put- 
ting his  foot  on  Fenrir's  lower  jaw,  with  his  hand 
he  seized  the  other,  and  rent  the  wolf  in  twain. 
In  the  meantime  Tyr  and  Garm  had  been  fighting 
until  they  had  killed  each  other.  Heimdall  slew 
Loki,  and  Loki  slew  Heimdall.  Frey,  Beli's 
radiant  slayer,  met  Surtur  in  battle,  and  was  killed 
by  him.  Many  terrible  blows  were  exchanged 
ere  Frey  fell;  but  the  Fire  King's  sword  out- 
shone the  sun,  and  where  was  the  sword  of  Frey? 
Thor  went  forth  against  Jormungand;  the  strong 
Thunderer  raised  his  arm — he  feared  no  evil — he 
flung  Miolnir  at  the  monster  serpent's  head.  Jor- 
mungand leaped  up  a  great  height  in  the  air,  and 
fell  down  to  the  earth  again  without  life ;  but  a 
stream  of  venom  poured  forth  from  his  nostrils  as 
he  died.  Thor  fell  back  nine  paces  from  the 
•trength  of  his  own  blow;  he  bowed  his  head  tr 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


the  earth,  and  was  choked  in  the  poisonous  flood; 
so  the  monster  serpent  was  killed  by  the  strong 
Thunderer's  hand;  but  in  death  Jormungand  slew 
his  slayer. 

Then  all  mankind  forsook  the  earth,  and  the 
earth  itself  sank  down  slowly  into  the  ocean. 
Water  swelled  over  the  mountains,  rivers  gurgled 
through  thick  trees,  deep  currents  swept  down  the 
valleys  —  nothing  was  to  be  seen  on  the  earth  but  a 
wide  flood.  The  stars  fell  from  the  sky,  and  flew 
about  hither  and  thither.  At  last,  smoky  clouds 
drifted  upward  from  the  infinite  deep,  encircling 
the  earth  and  the  water;  fire  burst  forth  from  the 
midst  of  them,  red  flames  wrapped  the  world, 
roared  through  the  branches  of  Yggdrasil,  and 
played  against  heaven  itself.  The  flood  swelled,  the 
fire  raged  ;  there  was  now  nothing  but  flood  and  fire. 

"  Then,"  said  Odin,  in  his  dream,  "  I  see  the  end 
of  all  things.  The  end  is  like  the  beginning,  and  it 
will  now  be  for  ever  as  if  nothing  had  ever  been." 

But,  as  he  spoke,  the  fire  ceased  suddenly;  the 
clouds  rolled  away  ;  a  new  and  brighter  sun  looked 
wl  of  heaven;  and  he  saw  arise  a  second  time 


RAGNAROK.  303 


the  earth  from  ocean.  It  rose  slowly  as  it  had 
sunk.  First,  the  waters  fell  back  from  the  tops  of 
new  hills  that  rose  up  fresh  and  verdant;  rain- 
drops like  pearls  dripped  from  the  freshly  budding 
trees,  and  fell  into  the  sea  with  a  sweet  sound; 
waterfalls  splashed  glittering  from  the  high  rocks ; 
eagles  flew  over  the  mountain  streams ;  earth  arose 
spring-like;  unsown  fields  bore  fruit;  there  was  no 
evil,  and  all  nature  smiled.  Then  from  Memory's 
Forest  came  forth  a  new  race  of  men,  who  spread 
over  the  whole  earth,  and  who  fed  on  the  dew  of 
the  dawn.  There  was  also  a  new  city  on  Asgard's 
Hill — a  city  of  gems;  and  Odin  saw  a  new  hall 
standing  in  it,  fairer  than  the  sun,  and  roofed 
with  gold.  Above  all,  the  wide  blue  expanded,  and 
into  that  fair  city  came  Modi  and  Magni,  Thor's 
two  sons,  holding  Miolnir  between  them.  Vali  and 
Vidar  came,  and  the  deathless  Hcenir;  Baldur 
came  up  from  the  deep,  leading  his  blind  brother 
Hodur  peacefully  by  the  hand ;  there  was  no  longer 
any  strife  between  them.  Two  brothers'  sons  in- 
habited the  spacious  Wind-Home. 

Then   Odin  watched  how  the  ^)sir  sat  on  the 


304  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

green  plain,  and  talked  of  many  things.  "Garm 
is  dead,"  said  Hod  to  Baldur,  "  and  so  are  Loki, 
and  Jormungand,  and  Fenrir,  and  the  world  re- 
joices; but  did  our  dead  brothers  rejoice  who  fell 
in  slaying  them?" 

"They  did,  Hod,"  answered  Baldur;  "they 
gave  their  lives  willingly  for  the  life  of  the  world ; " 
and,  as  he  listened,  Odin  felt  that  this  was  true; 
for,  when  he  looked  upon  that  beautiful  and  happy 
age,  it  gave  him  no  pain  to  think  that  he  must  die 
before  it  came — that,  though  for  many,  it  was  not 
for  him. 

By-and-bye  Hcenir  came  up  to  Hod  and  Baldur 
with  something  glittering  in  his  hand — something 
that  he  had  found  in  the  grass ;  and  as  he  approached 
he  said,  "Behold  the  golden  tablets,  my  brothers, 
which  in  the  beginning  of  time  were  given  to  the 
^Esir's  Father,  and  were  lost  in  the  Old  World." 

Then  they  all  looked  eagerly  at  the  tablets,  and, 
as  they  bent  over  them,  their  faces  became  even 
brighter  than  before. 

"There  is  no  longer  any  evil  thing,"  said  Odin; 
"not  an  evil  sight,  nor  an  evil  sound." 


RAGNAROK. 


But  as  he  spoke  dusky  wings  rose  out  of 
Niflheim,  and  the  dark-spotted  serpent,  Nidhogg, 
came  flying  from  the  abyss,  bearing  dead  carcases 
on  his  wings — cold  death,  undying. 

Then  the  joy  of  Odin  was  drowned  in  the  tears 
that  brimmed  his  heart,  and  it  was  as  if  the 
eternal  gnawer  had  entered  into  his  soul.  "  Is  there, 
then,  no  victory  over  sin?"  he  cried.  "Is  there 
no  death  to  Death?"  and  with  the  cry  he  woke. 
His  dream  had  faded  from  him.  He  stood  in  the 
palace  gates  alone  with  night,  and  the  night  was 
dying.  Long  since  the  rosy  clasp  of  evening  had 
dropped  from  her;  she  had  turned  through  dark- 
ness eastward,  and  looked  earnestly  towards  dawn. 
It  was  twilight  again,  for  the  night  and  the  morning 
drew  near  to  one  another.  A  star  stood  in  the 
east — the  morning  star — and  a  coming  brightness 
smote  the  heavens.  Out  of  the  light  a  still 
voice  came  advancing,  swelling,  widening,  until  it 
filled  all  space.  "Look  forth,"  it  said,  "upon 
the  groaning  earth,  with  all  its  cold,  and  pain,  and 
cruelty,  and  death.  Heroes  and  giants  fight  and 
kill  each  other;  now  giants  fall,  and  heroes 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


triumph;  now  heroes  fall,  and  giants  rise;  they 
can  but  combat,  and  the  earth  is  full  of  pain. 
Look  forth,  and  fear  not;  but  when  the  worn-out 
faiths  of  nations  shall  totter  like  old  men,  turn 
eastward,  and  behold  the  light  that  lighteth  every 
man ;  for  there  is  nothing  dark  it  doth  not  lighten ; 
there  is  nothing  hard  it  cannot  melt;  there  is 
nothing  lost  it  will  not  save." 


Of  course  the  Eddas  do  not  say  anything  about 
Odin  seeing  Ragnarok  in  a  dream,  or  about  his 
having  any  idea  of  a  light  that  was  to  come ;  but, 
divested  of  this  slender  veil,  the  story  as  it  here 
stands  is  almost  an  exact  likeness  of  the  northern 
myth.  In  one  Edda  it  is  given  as  the  prophecy  of 
a  Vala  or  seeress,  and  the  last  line  is  "  Now  she  will 
descend,"  meaning  that  the  Vala  had  finished  her 
prophesying,  and  would  come  down  from  her  high 
seat 

We  have  now  heard  a  little  about  the  ^Esir, 
those  gods  in  whom  Har  said  we  were  to 
believe;  and,  are  they  like  each  other  or  unlike? 


RAGNAROK.  307 


ire  ask  ourselves.  At  first  we  say  unlike,  but  after 
thinking  about  them  a  little  while,  very  much  alike 
indeed.  It  is  certain  that  the  Eddas  speak  of  them 
as  distinct,  but  then,  as  we  saw  before,  the  Eddas 
are  not  really  very  old ;  compared  with  the  religion 
they  explain,  they  are  almost  young. 

Simrock  points  out  clearly  the  likenesses  between 
the  gods — a  very  few  of  them  we  touch  upon.  Let 
us  begin,  by  putting  in  a  line  for  ourselves  to  look 
at,  Odin,  Tyr,  Heimdall,  Thor,  Frey,  and  Baldur. 
Odin — air,  stormy  and  serene,  the  heavens  with  sun, 
moon  and  stars ;  Odin  the  wanderer ;  Odin  on  Air- 
throne,  seeing  over  the  whole  world;  Odin,  the 
Summer,  as  Odur ;  the  patron  of  battles,  the  chooser 
of  the  slain,  the  pledger  of  one  eye,  drinking  from 
Mimer's  horn.  Tyr,  the  shining,  the  warrior  god, 
the  pledger  of  one  hand.  Heimdall,  as  Irmin, 
the  shining,  a  dweller  upon  heavenly  mountains, 
who  sees  and  hears  far  off,  who  wanders  over  the 
earth,  blows  his  golden  horn.  Thor,  whose  dwelling 
is  the  heavens;  god  of  the  storm,  of  cultivation; 
the  warrior,  the  chooser  of  the  slain;  for  it  is 
said  that  whilst  Odin  had  all  the  Jarls  that 


308  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 

fell  in  battle,  Thor  claimed  the  Thralls  for  his 
share.  Frey,  the  Summer,  god  of  the  fruitful 
year,  the  pledger  of  his  sword.  It  is  supposed  that 
Frey  was  once  the  husband  of  Freyja,  and  that  it 
was  their  separation  which  founded  the  myth  of 
Freyja's  wanderings  and  tears;  this  would  connect 
him  with  Odur  or  Odin.  Baldur,  Summer,  or  Sun  god, 
pledges  his  life  to  the  under-world.  In  leaving  the 
earth  to  weep  for  him,  he  recalls  the  desertion  of  Freyja 
and  her  tears.  Turning  to  the  goddesses,  we  see 
Jord  or  the  earth  spoken  of  as  a  wife  of  Odin; 
Rind,  the  winterly  earth ;  Freyja,  so  nearly  joined  to 
Frigg,  the  summerly  earth ;  Iduna,  the  spring  of  the 
earth;  Gerda,  also  the  winterly  earth;  Hela,  the 
under-world.  What  strikes  us  through  all  this  is  that 
it  would  be  natural  for  the  early  earth  dwellers  first 
to  worship  the  heavens  with  all  that  they  contain 
and  suggest,  whilst  the  action  of  heavenly  influences 
upon  the  earth  would  reveal  her  to  them  as  the  great 
mother,  stern,  cold,  tender,  fruitful,  consuming, 
embosoming,  reproducing  all  in  one.  There  are 
many  ways  in  which  gods  and  goddesses  multiply. 
ID  the  first  place  Gylfis  will  begin  to  ask  questions 


RAGNAROK.  309 


and  pry  into  first  causes  and  ways  and  means  of 
existence,  whence  would  easily  arise  a  division  of 
nature  into  elementary  powers,  air,  water,  fire,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  giants  and  chaotic  regions  which 
would  suggest  themselves.  One  side  or  another  of 
life  must  always  be  uppermost,  and  nature  in  its 
differences  grows  into  new  personalities  ;  from  nature 
myths  again  moral  ones  easily  develope,  and  new 
variations  meet  the  new  requirements.  Again,  tribe 
joins  tribe  and  pantheons  mingle,  the  chief  god  of 
one  race  becoming  the  son,  say,  or  the  brother,  of 
another  tribe's  chief  god,  and  so  on. 

The  fact  of  Thor  receiving  Thralls  in  battle  whilst 
Odin  claimed  the  Jarls,  looks  as  if  Thor  had  fallen 
at  one  time  from  the  first  to  a  second  place. 
Simrock  says  that  Tyr  answers  to  Zeus,  and  that 
perhaps  he  was  the  oldest  of  the  Asgard  gods ;  but 
he  says  also  that  Odin  has  gathered  up  into  himself 
all  the  highest  attributes  of  the  gods.  The  only 
allusions  that  can  be  relied  on  as  genuine  which  the 
Eddas  contain  to  a  higher  god  than  Odin  is  one 
very  obscure  strophe  in  the  Voluspa  which  says 
speaking  of  Ragnarok, — 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


**  Then  comes  the  Mighty  One, 
To  the  great  judgment, 
The  powerful  from  above 
Who  rules  over  all 
He  shall  doom  pronounce 
And  strifes  allay, 
Holy  peace  establish 
Which  shall  ever  be." 

Another  Mill  more  difficult  to  understand  in  Hyndla'a 
lay. 

•*  Then  shall  another  come, 
Yet  mightier, 
Although  I  dare  not 
His  name  declare* 
Few  may  see 
Further  forth 
Than  when  Odin 
Meets  the  Wolfc  » 

Simrock,  however,  thinks  that  he  sees  some  gleams 
of  a  higher  unseen  Hidden  Power  very  faintly  here 
and  there,  and  between  this  Being  and  Odin  he 
also  fancies  that  he  can  trace  some  connection.  But 
he  is  very  uncertain  on  the  point 

Simrock  says  of  the  goddesses  in  the  Scandinavian 
mythology  that  they  most  of  them  represent  only 
one  side  of  the  original  Earth  Mother,  dividing 


RAGNAROK. 


the  double  nature  between  them ;  so  we  see  some 
personating  the  fruitful,  beneficent,  life-giving  reno- 
vating earth,  whilst  Hela  has  only  the  dark  side 
left  in  her  nature.  It  is,  however,  to  be  observed  that 
whilst  half  a  corpse  she  is  half  a  woman.  Gerda 
and  Iduna  are  mixed  in  nature,  also  Rinda  and 
others  of  Odin's  giantess  wives.  He  says,  also, 
that  Hela  is  the  eldest  of  the  goddesses,  and  that  the 
root  idea  remains  with  her, — a  receiver  of  the  dead, 
as  earth  is, — though  she  became  so  degraded.  Odin 
gave  her  power  over  nine  worlds,  and  here  we  see 
a  trace  of  the  old  idea  of  her  being  the  great  Earth 
Mother.  "From  a  goddess  of  the  underworld  to 
a  goddess  of  death  is  one  step.  A  goddess  of  the 
underworld  should  be  life-giving  as  well  as  destroying; 
but  soon  the  heathen  horror  of  death  appears,  and 
the  destroyer  is  looked  upon  as  the  ender  only,  not 
the  fresh  begetter  f  she  becomes  a  hunger  that  will 
not  be  satisfied,  and  hence  Hela  is  a  daughter  of 
Loki. 

Out  of  the  flood,  into  the  flood  again, — 
Niflheim  and  Muspelheim  join  hands  in  the  twilight 
As  in  the  first  beginning  of  things  we  saw  the 


5  x  3  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


strange  waves  alternately  frozen  and  melted  by  these 
antagonistic  powers,  and  out  of  this  antagonism 
a  form — so  in  Ragnarok  we  see  the  flood  once 
more  supreme,  the  rival  forces,  cold  and  heat,  both 
fighting  against  the  formed,  ordered  world — both, 
because  both  alike  represent  elemental  forces  which 
must  precede  formation.  So,  also,  a  second  time  the 
world  emerges  out  of  the  struggle,  Simrock  thinks,  a 
renewed  world  morally  and  physically ;  and  certainly 
it  does  seem  to  have  made  some  advance  upon  the 
old  order  of  things, — it  stands  forth  beautiful  at  once. 
/  But  does  this  mean  any  more,  we  wonder,  than  the 
golden  age  come  back,  with  fate  in  the  back-ground. 
So  many  of  the  same  powers  seem  to  be  at  work 
in  the  two  worlds,  that  we  can  only  think  of  a 
succession  of  events  in  looking  at  the  picture.  We 
see  again  the  golden  tables,  we  see  Hodur  as  well 
as  Baldur.  There  is  one  very  obscure  verse  which 
seems  to  imply  that  the  giant  fate-maidens  are  in  the 
renewed  world.  Sons  succeed  their  fathers.  Odin's 
sons  inherit  Odin's  hall;  the  two  mentioned  are  Vali 
and  Vidar,  who  were  both  descended  from  giantesses, 
and  giants  always  typify  the  baser  part  of  nature. 


RAGNAROK.  313 


Thor's  sons  retain  the  badge  of  warfare.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  is  said  that  Hod  and  Baldur  come  up 
peacefully  together  from  the  deep;  it  has  been 
remarked,  also,  that  no  Vanir  gods  (inferior  to  those 
of  Asgard)  are  mentioned.  There  is  also  a  strophe 
in  the  Voluspa  which  talks  of  peace  established,  and 
of  heavenly  Gimill,  gold  bedecked,  where  the  right- 
eous people  are  to  dwell  for  evermore,  and  enjoy 
happiness — 

"She  a  Hall  sees  standing  than  the  sun  brighter, 
With  gold  bedecked  in  Gimill. 
There  shall  the  righteous  people  dwell, 
And  for  evermore  happiness  enjoy." 

But  again,  immediately  following  these  hopeful 
strains,  we  are  shown  the  dark-spotted  snake — the 
Eternal  Gnawer,  with  a  corpse  upon  his  wings. 

"  The  dark  dragon  flying  from  beneath,  the  glistening  serpent, 
On  his  wings  bears  Nidhogg,  flying  o'er  the  plain  a  corpse." 

Our  ears  are  puzzled  by  the  strain,  and  we  cannot 
catch  the  melody's  last  tone.  Is  it  a  joy  note  or  a 
wail?  from  Gimill's  gold  roofs,  from  the  shore 
of  corpses  ?  "  Who  can  search  into  the  beginning ; 
who  can  search  into  the  end?" 


INDEX  OF  NAMES. 


INDEX  OF  NAMES, 

WITH  MEANINGS. 

SELECTED  FROM  MALLET'S   "  NORTHERN  ANTIQUITIES,*  AMD 

FROM  THORPE'S  "NORTHERN  MYTHOLOGY." 

sEgir—  The  King  of  the  Sea.     The  name  means,  "to  flow.* 

dZsir — Gods  or  Lords.     Singular,  As  or  Asa. 

Alf,  Elf—  Alfheim,  Elfhome. 

Alt  or  Vali— The  name  of  one  of  Loki's  children.     It  signifies, 

"strong." 
Amsvartnir—Nsnae    of  a  lake.      It    means,    "grief,    black, 

gloomy." 
Angurbodi-—rThc  mother  of  Jormungand,    Hela,   and  Fenrir. 

The  name  signifies,  "anguish  boding." 

Asgard—  Literally,  "  God's-ward,"  or  "the  abode  of  the  god*,' 
Asyniur — Goddesses. 
Audkumla— The  first  cow.     Signifies,  "void,  darkness.* 

Baldur—  Bright,  white,  bold. 

xa 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


Barri—The  Warm  Wood. 

Beli—  The  stag  killed  by  Frey.      Bdi  signifies,  "  to  bellow." 

#*/rarf—  -Name  given  to  the  rainbow.  It  means,  "  the  Tremu« 
lous  or  Aerial  Bridge.  " 

Bilskirnir  —  Name  of  Thor's  mansion.  It  signifies  either 
"bright  space"  or  "storm-serene." 

BSr  or  Bur  —  The  first  hero. 

Bragi—  The  god  of  eloquence.  From  faaga,  "to  shine;"  or 
bragga,  "to  adorn."  Bragr,  which  in  Norse  signifies 
"poetry,"  has  become  in  English  "to  brag,"  and  a  poet 
"a  braggart."  From  Bragi's  bumper,  the  Bragafull,  comes 
our  word  "bragget,"  and  probably,  also,  the  verb  "to 
brew  ;  "  Norse,  brugga. 

Breidablik—  Name  of  Baldur's  abode.  It  means,  "  broad-blink, 
wide-glancing,  expanded  splendour." 

**nsingamen—Name  of  Freyja's  necklace.  From  bribing 
"flaming." 

Oa«*_Signifies,  "swoon,"  or  "complete  repose."  It  is  thf 
name  of  one  of  the  four  harts  which  ran  about  among  the 
branches  of  Yggdrasil  j  also  the  name  of  a  dwarf. 

Draupnir—k  ring  of  Odin,  which,  after  being  placed  on 
Baldur's  pile,  acquired  the  power  of  dropping  every  ninth 
night  eight  rings  ot  equal  weight  with  itself. 

Dromi—  Name  of  a  chain  by  which  Fenrir  was  bound,  and 
from  which  he  freed  himself.  It  has  since  become  a  pro- 
verb  in  Sweden,  "  To  get  loose  from  Lading,  and  to  dash 
out  of  Dromi,"  when  anything  is  to  be  done  with  great 
exertion. 

Duneyr—  Name  of  one  of  the  harts  which  lived  in  YggdnuiL 

Durathror—  Light  sleep.     Another  of  the  harts. 


INDEX  OF  NAMES.  317 

Durin — Name  of  a  dwarf.     Signifies,  "light  sleep." 
Dvalin — Torpor.     Name  of  one  of  the  harts ;  also  of  a  dwarf. 

Einherjar — Chc?€n  heroes. 

Elivdgar — Stormy  waves.       The  name  of  the    rivers    which 

flowed    forth    from    Hvergelmir,    and    hardened  into  ice  in 

Ginnungagap,  the  abyss  of  abysses,  situated  between  Niflheim 

and  Muspellheim. 

Elli—  Old  Age.     She  wrestled  with  Thor  in  Jotunheim. 
Elvidnir — The  entrance-hall  of  Hela's  palace.    It  means,  "  wide 

storm." 
Ermt—  Name  of  a  river  through  which  Thor  had  to  wade. 

Fenrir  or  Fenris  Ulfr—  Monster  wolf,  oz  dweller  in  an  abyss, 

or  howling  wolf  of  the  deep. 

Fensalir — Frigga's  abode.     Fensaloon,  or  watery  deep. 
Folkvang—Treyfis    abode.       Literally,    "the    folk's    field  or 

habitation." 
Frey   and    Freyja — Master    and    mistress,    from    whence    the 

German  word   "frau."      The    names  also  signify,    "mild, 

joyous,  fructifying,  beauteous." 
Frigga  or  Frigg — Free,  beauteous,  winsome. 

Garm — The  dog  with  bloody  breast  and  jaws  who  guarded  the 

way  to  Helheim.     From  gcrr,  "voracious,"  a  word  probably 

cognate  with  English  "gorge." 
Gerd,   Gerda>  or  Gerdur — From  §erat   "to  do — make,"  as  in 

ukrgerd,  * '  agriculture. " 
Gimli—  Name  of   the    heavenly  city  which  existed  after   the 

destruction  and  renewal  of  the  world.      Signifies,    "fire,** 

or  "gem." 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


Ginnungagap  —  The  space  between  Niflheim  and  Muspellheim. 

Literally,    "the    gap    of  gaps,   the    abyss  of  abysses,   the 

yawning,  gaping  abyss." 
Gjallar-bru  —  The  sounding  river  leading  from  the  abodes  of 

the  living  to  those  of  the  dead. 
GjaUar-horn  —  From  gjalla,  "to  resound,  to  clang."    Cognate 

with  the  English,  "to  yell." 
Gj'oll  —  Name  of  river,   meaning   "the  horizon."     It  signifies, 

"  sonorous,  fulgid,"  and  has  reference  to  the  popular  belief  of 

the  sun's  sound  when  it  goes  down  and  when  it  rises,  or  when 

day  breaks  forth  ;  the  skriek  of  day,  our  "  break  of  day." 
Glodsheim—  Odin's  abode.     Literally,  "glad's  home,"  or  "the 

abode   of    gladness  ;  "    from    whence    the    English    word 

"gladsome." 
Gltipnir—  The  chain  made  by  dwarfs  for  the  binding  of  Fenrir. 

It  signifies,  "the  devouring." 
Gnipa  —  Cave  leading  to  Helheim. 
Gullinbursti  —  Golden  Bristles.     Name  of  Frey's  hog. 
Gulltoppr—  Golden  Mane.     The  name  of  Heimdall's  steed 

Hetmdall—  Guardian  of  the  rainbow.  His  name  sign;fiea» 
"the  pole  or  post  of  the  world."  The  rainbow,  whta 
incomplete,  is  still  called  by  the  northern  nations  Veirstolpe  , 
literally,  «  •  a  weather-post.  " 

Hela  —  The  Queen  of  the  Dead.  Some  say  that  her  name 
means  "  intense  cold  ;  "  others,  "  a  large  hole  or  cavity." 

Helheim—  The  home  of  Hela. 

ffifrmod—The  name  of  Odin's  messenger.  It  signifies,  "• 
host,"  or  "army  of  courage." 

Himinbiorg—  Heimdall's  abode.  The  name  signifies,  "  hecvenly 
mountains." 


INDEX  OF  NAMES.  3  z  g 


Hlidskjalf—  The  name  of  Odin's  throne,  from  whence  he  looked  over 

the  earth.    It  means  literally,  *  *  a  trembling  or  wavering  slope. n 
Hb'dur  or  Hod — The  blind  god.      His  name  means,    "war, 

combat." 
ffaenir—  The  god  of  mind  or  perception.       He  is  sometimes 

called  the  rapid  As,  or  Long-foot. 
Hringhorn — Literally,   "ringed  horn."     The  name  of  Baldur's 

ship. 

Hrym  or  Ryme—  Name  of  a  giant,  from  whence  "rime  frost." 
Hugi  or  Hugin — Spirit,  breath,  thought      The  name  of  one 

of  Odin's  ravens. 
Hvcrgelmir — The  roaring  cauldron,   or  spring  of  hot  water, 

which  bubbled  up  out  of  Niflheim. 
Hymir — Name  of  a  giant.     From  hum,  "the  sea." 
Hyrrokin — Literally,  "  smoky  fire."    The  name  of  a  giantes* 

Jduna  or  Idun — Guardian  of  the  apples  of  immortality. 

Jarmrid — Iron  Wood. 

Jormungand—  Universal  serpent 

Jotunheim — Giants'  home.     Grimm  thinks  that  the  old  Norse 

for  giant,  ibtun,  is  cognate  with  the  old  Saxon  eten,  and  may 

be  derived  from  eta,  "  to  eat." 

Kerlaug—QK&  of  the  rivers  through  which  Thor  had  to  wade 

on  his  way  to  the  Doomstead. 

Kormt — Another  of  the  rivers  through  which  Thor  waded. 
JCvasir — Name  of  a  man  killed    by  dwarfs ;   also  of  one  ol 

Odin's  sons. 

Lading— -Name  of  one  of  the  chains  used  to  bind  Fenrir. 
landvuti—Vidsu's  abode.     Literally,  "  wide  land." 


320  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


Logi—  Flame. 

Loki—  Either  flame,  or  derived  from  luka*  "to  shut  j"  whenoa 

the  English  "lock." 
Lyngvi — The  island  of  sweet  broom. 

Magni—  The  powerful.     One  of  Thor's  sons, 

Manbeitn—The  abode  of  men 

Mani—1\it  moon. 

Mardbll—  Sea-nymph ;    from    whence,   perhaps,    the    English 

word,  "doll" 

Afegingjardir— Thai's  girdle  of  might,  the  belt  of  prowess. 
Midgard—  Name  applied    to  the    earth;    "middle-ward,"  or 

"inclosure." 
Mimer—  Guardian  of  Wisdom's  Well.       The  name  signifies, 

"to  keep  in  memory,"  or  "to  be  mindful."     Mimer's  Well 

was  supposed  to  be  situated  at  that  end    of  the  rainbow 

opposite  to  Himinbiorg.     Mimer  drank  water  from  his  well 

out  of  a  horn,  whence  the  popular  superstition  that  a  cup  is 

to  be  found  at  the  end  of  the  rainbow. 
Miolnir—  Name  of  Thor's  hammer.      It  signifies,    "to  pound 

or  grind ; "  whence  the  English  word  "mill." 
Modgudur — Name  of  the  woman  who  stood  at  the  end  of  the 

bridge  leading    to    Helheim.      It  signifies,    "courageous," 

from  whence  the  English  word  "mood." 

Modi — The  name  of  one  of  Thor's  sons.  It  signifies,  "courage." 
Munin — Name  of  one  of  Odin's  ravens.  It  signifies,  "  memory. " 
Muspellheim — The  Muspellhome.  Muspell  means  "elemental 

fire." 

ffaglfar—  Name  of  the  ship  that  appears  at  Ragnarok,  made 
of  nails.     Nagl  means  "nail." 


INDEX  OF  NAMES. 


Wanna — Baldur's  wife.     The  name  signifies,  "daring." 
Nari — One  of  Loki's  sons.     The  name  signifies,  "binding." 
Nastrond — Literally,  "  the  shore  of  corpses." 
NidJwgg—  Serpent  at  the  root  of  Yggdrasil.     The  name  may  be 

rendered  "dark  gnawer." 
Niflheim — Literally,  "nebulous  home." 
Njord — A  Van,  the  universal    nourishing   power  in  air  and 

water.     There  is  in  the  North  an  aquatic  plant  still  called 

"Njord's  glove." 
Koatun — The  name  of  Njord's  home.      It  means,  "  the  place 

of  ships." 
Nornir — singular  Norn — Name  given  to  the  Fates. 

Odin— Called  by  the  Saxons  Wodan  or  Woden.  Several 
places  still  retain  the  name  of  Odin  in  Germany  and  Sweden, 
as,  also,  Wednesbury,  in  Staffordshire, 

Odur — The  name  of  Freyja's  husband. 

Ragnarok — The  twilight  of  the  gods. 

Ran — Wifeof^Egir.     Her  name  signifies,  "plunder,  robbery.* 

Ratatosk — The  name  of  the  squirrel  which  ran  up  and  down 

YggdrasiL 
Roska — The  sister  of  Thialfi,  Thor's  attendant.       The  name 

signifies,    "quick,  lively,  active;"  from  whence  comes  the 

English  word  "rash." 

S<zhrimnir—Nzm.z  of  the  boar  every  evening  eaten  in  Valhalla. 
Sessrymnir— The  name   of  Freyja's  hall.     It  signifies,  "seat 

roomy ; "  from  whence  the  English  word  "  room.** 
Sif—  Name  of  Thor's  wife. 
Siguna — Name  of  Loki's  wife. 


THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD. 


Siofna — Daughter  of  Freyja  and  goddess  of  sleep. 

Skadi—  The  wife  of  Niord.      Skadi  signifies,    "the  hurtfuL" 

Her  habitation  was  Thrymheim,  "noise-home." 
Skidbladnir—Nzme  of  Frey's  ship.     The  English  word  "blade," 

or  "leaf,"  comes  from  Bladnir. 
Skirnir — Frey's    messenger.       The    name    signifies,     "serene, 

pure,  clear."    The  English  word  "sheer"  comes  from  it. 
Skrymir — Name  of  a  giant.     From  shram,  "show,  brag,  feint" 
Skuld—Qvz  of  the  Nornir.     Skuld  signifies,  "  what  is  to  come." 
SMpnir — Name  of  Odin's  horse.     He  had  eight  legs.     Sleipnir 

signifies,   "smooth,    gliding;"    from    whence    the    English 

word  "slippery." 
.Sb/— The  sun. 
Surf  or  Surtur — The  fire-god,  who  lived  in  Muspellheim.     His 

name  signifies,  "swart,  browned  by  fire." 
Suttung — A  giant,  whose  name  means,  "to  drink." 
Svartalfheim  or  Svartheim — Literally,   "swart  or  dark  home." 

It  was  the  region  of  the  dwarfs,  or  dark  elves. 

Thaukt — Name  of  a  witch. 

Thialfi — One  of  Thor's  attendants.     Supposed  to  mean,  "the 

thunder-shower." 
Thiassi—  Name    of   Skadi's    father.       It    signifies,    "violent, 

tempestuous." 
Thor—  God  of  thunder.     Also  called    Ving-Thor,  or  Winged- 

Thor ;  Auku,  or  Oku-Thor;  Chariot-Thor. 
Thrudvang  or  Thrudheim — Thor's  abode,     The  name  signifies, 

"the    region    of    fortitude,"    or    "dense,     closely    packed 

together." 

Thrymheim —  Noise-home. 
Tyr — The  god  after  whom  Tuesday  was  named. 


INDEX  OF  NAMES. 


Urd—  One  of  the  Nornir.     Her  name  signifies,  "  past." 

Urda — The  name  of  the  sacred  fount,  which  was  situated  over 

Bifrost. 
Utgard — The  name  of  the  chief  city  of  Jotunheim.     Literally, 

"outer- ward." 

Valhalla — Name  of  a  hall  in  Gladsheim.     It  means  literally, 

"hall  of  the  chosen." 
Valkyrior — singular,    Valkyria — Odin's  maidens.       The  name 

means  literally,  "choosers  of  the  slain." 
Vanaheim — The  home  of  the  Vanir. 
Vanir — singular  masculine,    Van;   singular  feminine,    Vana — 

The  name  of  the  gods  of  the  air  and  water.      Vanr  signifies, 

"empty." 

Vegtam — A  wanderer. 

Verdandi—Qnz  of  the  Nornir.     Her  name  signifies,  "present." 
Vidar — The  silent  god.      Vidar  signifies,  "  a  wood  or  forest. " 
Vidblain — The  wide  blue. 
Vigrid—  Name  of  the  battle-field  on  which  the  gods  and  the 

evil  powers  contended  during  Ragnarok.       Vigrid  signifies, 

"battle,  ride." 
Vingolf—kbQte  of  the  goddesses.     Means  literally,  "the  flooi 

of  friends." 
Voluspd — The  name  of  an  old  poem. 

Yggdrasil — The  name  of  the  earth  tree. 

Ymir—  The  first  giant.      Ymir  means,  "  a  confused  noise." 


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ILLINOIS  GIRL.     A  PRAIRIE  WINTER.     By  an  Illinois  Girl. 

16mo.     164  pages. 

A  record  of  the  procession  of  the  months  from  midway  in  Septem- 
ber to  midway  in  May.  The  observations  on  Nature  are  accurate 
and  sympathetic,  and  they  are  interspersed  with  glimpses  of  a 
charming  home  life  and  bits  of  cheerful  philosophy. 

INGERSOLL.  WILD  NEIGHBORS.  OUTDOOR  STUDIES  IN 
THE  UNITED  STATES.  By  Ernest  Ingersoll.  12mo. 
Illustrated,  xii  +  301  pages. 

Studies  and  stories  of  the  gray  squirrel,  the  puma,  the  coyote, 
the  badger,  and  other  burrowers,  the  porcupine,  the  skunk,  the 
woodchuck,  and  the  raccoon. 

INMAN.  THE  RANCH  ON  THE  OXHIDE.  By  Henry  Inman. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  xi  +  297  pages. 

A  story  of  pioneer  life  in  Kansas  in  the  late  sixties.  Adventures 
with  wild  animals  and  skirmishes  with  Indians  add  interest  to  the 
narrative. 

JOHNSON.  CERVANTES'  DON  QUIXOTE.  Edited  by  Clifton 
Johnson.  12mo.  Illustrated,  xxiii  +  398  pages. 

A  well-edited  edition  of  this  classic.  The  one  effort  has  been  to 
bring  the  book  to  readable  proportions  without  excluding  any  really 
essential  incident  or  detail,  and  at  the  same  time  to  make  the  text 
unobjectionable  and  wholesome. 

JUDSON.  THE  GROWTH  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION.  By 
Harry  Pratt  Judson.  12mo.  Illustrations  and  maps, 
xi  +  359  pages. 

The  cardinal  facts  of  American  History  are  grasped  in  such  a 
way  as  to  show  clearly  the  orderly  development  of  national  life. 

KEARY.  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD:  TALES  FROM  SCANDI- 
NAVIAN MYTHOLOGY.  By  A.  and  E.  Keary.  12mo. 
Illustrated.  323  pages. 

The  book  is  divided  into  nine  chapters,  called  "The  ^Esir," 
"How  Thor  went  to  Jotunheim,"  "Frey,"  "The  Wanderings  of 
Freyja,"  "  Iduna's  Apples,"  "Baldur,"  "The  Binding  of  Fenrir," 
"The  Punishment  of  Loki,"  "Ragnarok." 


6 

KING.     DE  SOTO  AND  HIS  MEN  IN  THE  LAND  OF  FLORIDA. 

By  Grace  King.  12mo.  Illustrated,  xiv  +  326  pages. 
A  story  based  upon  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  accounts  of  the 
attempted  conquest  by  the  armada  which  sailed  under  De  Soto  in 
1538  to  subdue  this  country.  Miss  King  gives  a  most  entertain- 
ing history  of  the  invaders'  struggles  and  of  their  final  demoralized 
rout;  while  her  account  of  the  native  tribes  is  a  most  attractive 
feature  of  the  narrative. 

KINGSLEY.  MAD  AM  HOW  AND  LADY  WHY:  FIRST  LESSONS 
IN  EARTH  LORE  FOR  CHILDREN.  By  Charles  Kingsley. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  xviii+321  pages. 

Madam  How  and  Lady  Why  are  two  fairies  who  teach  the  how 
and  why  of  things  in  nature.  There  are  chapters  on  Earthquakes, 
Volcanoes,  Coral  Reefs,  Glaciers,  etc.,  told  in  an  interesting  man- 
ner. The  book  is  intended  to  lead  children  to  use  their  eyes  and 
ears. 

KINGSLEY.      THE  WATER  BABIES:     A  FAIRY  TALE  FOR    A 
LAND    BABY.     By   Charles    Kingsley.     12mo.     Illustrated. 
330  pages. 
One  of  the  best  children's  stories  ever  written;  it  has  deservedly 

become  a  classic. 

LANGE.  OUR  NATIVE  BIRDS:  HOW  TO  PROTECT  THEM 
AND  ATTRACT  THEM  TO  OUR  HOMES.  By  D.  Lange. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  x  +  162  pages. 

A  strong  plea  for  the  protection  of  birds.  Methods  and  devices 
for  their  encouragement  are  given,  also  a  bibliography  of  helpful 
literature,  and  material  for  Bird  Day. 

LOVELL.      STORIES    IN    STONE    FROM   THE   ROMAN  FORUM. 

By  Isabel  Lovell.     12mo.     Illustrated,     viii  +  258  pages. 

The  eight  stories  in  this  volume  give  many  facts  that  travelers 
wish  to  know,  that  historical  readers  seek,  and  that  young  students 
enjoy.  The  book  puts  the  reader  in  close  touch  with  Roman  life. 

McFARLAND.  GETTING  ACQUAINTED  WITH  THE  TREES. 
By  J.  Horace  McFarland.  8vo.  Illustrated,  xi  +  241  pages. 

A  charmingly  written  series  of  tree  essays.  They  are  not 
scientific  but  popular,  and  are  the  outcome  of  the  author's  desire 
that  others  should  share  the  rest  and  comfort  that  have  come  to 
him  through  acquaintance  with  trees. 


MAJOR.  THE  BEARS  OP  BLUE  RIVER.  By  Charles  Major. 
12mo.  Illustrated.  277  pages. 

A  collection  of  good  bear  stories  with  a  live  boy  for  the  hero. 
The  scene  is  laid  in  the  early  days  of  Indiana. 

MARSHALL.  WINIFRED'S  JOURNAL.  By  Emma  Marshall. 
12mo.  Illustrated.  353  pages. 

A  story  of  the  time  of  Charles  the  First.  Some  of  the  characters 
are  historical  personages. 

MEANS.  PALMETTO  STORIES.  By  Celina  E.  Means.  12mo. 
Illustrated,  x  -f  244  pages. 

True  accounts  of  some  of  the  men  and  women  who  made  the 
history  of  South  Carolina,  and  correct  pictures  of  the  conditions 
under  which  these  men  and  women  labored. 

MORRIS.  MAN  AND  HIS  ANCESTOR:  A  STUDY  IN  EVOLU- 
TION. By  Charles  Morris.  16mo.  Illustrated,  vii  +  238 
pages. 

A  popular  presentation  of  the  subject  of  man's  origin.  The 
various  significant  facts  that  have  been  discovered  since  Darwin's 
time  are  given,  as  well  as  certain  lines  of  evidence  never  before 
presented  in  this  connection. 

NEWBOLT.     STORIES  FROM  FROISSART.     By  Henry  Newbolt. 

12mo.     Illustrated,     xxxi  +  368  pages. 

Here  are  given  entire  thirteen  episodes  from  the  "Chronicles" 
of  Sir  John  Froissart.  The  text  is  modernized  sufficiently  to  make 
it  intelligible  to  young  readers.  Separated  narratives  are  dove- 
tailed, and  new  translations  have  been  made  where  necessary  to 
make  the  narrative  complete  and  easily  readable. 

OVERTON.  THE  CAPTAIN'S  DAUGHTER.  By  Gwendolen 
Overton.  12mo.  Illustrated,  vii-f  270  pages. 

A  story  of  girl  life  at  an  army  post  on  the  frontier.  The  plot  is 
an  absorbing  one,  and  the  interest  of  the  reader  is  held  to  the  end. 

PALGRAVE.  THE  CHILDREN'S  TREASURY  OF  ENGLISH 
SONG.  Selected  and  arranged  by  Francis  Turner  Palgrave. 
16mo.  viii+302  pages. 

This  collection  contains  168  selections  —  songs,  narratives, 
descriptive  or  reflective  pieces  of  a  lyrical  quality,  all  suited  to  the 
taste  and  understanding  of  children. 


8 

PALMER.  STORIES  FROM  THE  CLASSICAL  LITERATURE 
OF  MANY  NATIONS.  Edited  by  Bertha  Palmer.  12mo. 
xv  +  297  pages. 

A  collection  of  sixty  characteristic  stories  from  Chinese,  Japa- 
nese, Hebrew,  Babylonian,  Arabian,  Hindu,  Greek,  Roman, 
German,  Scandinavian,  Celtic,  Russian,  Italian,  French,  Spanish, 
Portuguese,  Anglo-Saxon,  English,  Finnish,  and  American  Indian 
sources. 

RIIS.  CHILDREN  OF  THE  TENEMENTS.  By  Jacob  A.  Riis. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  ix  +  387  pages. 

Forty  sketches  and  short  stories  dealing  with  the  lights  and 
shadows  of  life  in  the  slums  of  New  York  City,  told  just  as  they 
came  to  the  writer,  fresh  from  the  life  of  the  people. 

SANDYS.  TRAPPER  JIM.  By  Edwyn  Sandys.  12mo.  Illus- 
trated, ix  +  441  pages. 

A  book  which  will  delight  every  normal  boy.  Jim  is  a  city  lad 
who  learns  from  an  older  cousin  all  the  lore  of  outdoor  life  — 
trapping,  shooting,  fishing,  camping,  swimming,  and  canoeing. 
The  author  is  a  well-known  writer  on  outdoor  subjects. 

SEXTON.  STORIES  OF  CALIFORNIA.  By  Ella  M.  Sexton. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  x  +  211  pages. 

Twenty-two  stories  illustrating  the  early  conditions  and  the 
romantic  history  of  California  and  the  subsequent  development 
of  the  state. 

SHARP.  THE  YOUNGEST  GIRL  IN  THE  SCHOOL.  By  Evelyn 
Sharp.  12mo.  Illustrated,  ix  +  326  pages. 

Bab,  the  "  youngest  girl,"  was  only  eleven  and  the  pet  of  five 
brothers.  Her  ups  and  downs  in  a  strange  boarding  school  make 
an  interesting  story. 

SPARKS.  THE  MEN  WHO  MADE  THE  NATION:  AN  OUTLINE 
OF  UNITED  STATES  HISTORY  FROM  1776  TO  1861.  By 
Edwin  E.  Sparks.  12mo.  Illustrated,  viii  +  415  pages. 

The  author  has  chosen  to  tell  our  history  by  selecting  the  one 
man  at  various  periods  of  our  affairs  who  was  master  of  the  situ- 
ation and  about  whom  events  naturally  grouped  themselves. 
The  characters  thus  selected  number  twelve,  as  "  Samuel  Adams, 
the  man  of  the  town  meeting"  ;  "Robert  Morris,  the  financier  of 
the  Revolution";  "Hamilton,  the  advocate  of  stronger  govern- 
ment," etc.,  etc. 


9 

IHACHER.  THE  LISTENING  CHILD.  A  selection  from  the 
stories  of  English  verse,  made  for  the  youngest  readers  and 
hearers.  By  Lucy  W.  Thacher.  12mo.  xxx  -f  408  pages. 

Under  this  title  are  gathered  two  hundred  and  fifty  selections. 
Fhe  arrangement  is  most  intelligent,  as  shown  in  the  proportions 
assigned  to  different  authors  and  periods.  Much  prominence  is 
riven  to  purely  imaginative  writers.  The  preliminary  essay,  "A 
Short  Talk  to  Children  about  Poetry, "  is  full  of  suggestion. 

WALLACE.  UNCLE  HENRY'S  LETTERS  TO  THE  FARM 
BOY.  By  Henry  Wallace.  16mo.  ix  +  180  pages. 

Eighteen  letters  on  habits,  education,  business,  recreation,  and 
kindred  subjects. 

WEED.      LIFE     HISTORIES     OF     AMERICAN     INSECTS.      By 

Clarence  Moores  Weed.     12mo.     Illustrated,    xii  +  272  pages. 

In  these  pages  are  described  by  an  enthusiastic  student  of 
entomology  such  changes  as  may  often  be  seen  in  an  insect's 
form,  and  which  mark  the  progress  of  its  life.  He  shows  how  very 
wide  a  field  of  interesting  facts  is  within  reach  of  any  one  who  has 
the  patience  to  collect  these  little  creatures. 

WELLS.  THE  JINGLE  BOOK.  By  Carolyn  Wells.  12mo. 
Illustrated,  viii  +  124  pages. 

A  collection  of  fifty  delightful  jingles  and  nonsense  verses.  The 
illustrations  by  Oliver  Herford  do  justice  to  the  text. 

WILSON.     DOMESTIC    SCIENCE   IN   GRAMMAR   GRADES.      A 

Reader.     By  Lucy  L.  W.  Wilson.     12mo.     ix  +  193  pages. 

Descriptions  of  homes  and  household  customs  of  all  ages  and 
countries,  studies  of  materials  and  industries,  glimpses  of  the 
homes  of  literature,  and  articles  on  various  household  subjects. 

WILSON.  HISTORY  READER  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS. 
By  Lucy  L.  W.  Wilson.  16mo.  Illustrated,  xvii  +  403 


Stories  grouped  about  the  greatest  men  and  the  most  striking 
events  in  our  country's  history.  The  readings  run  by  months, 
beginning  with  September. 

WILSON.     PICTURE  STUDY  IN  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS.     By 
Lucy  L.  W.  Wilson.     12mo.     Illustrated. 


10 

Ninety  half-tone  reproductions  from  celebrated  paintings  botii 
old  and  modern,  accompanied  by  appropriate  readings  from  the 
poets.  All  schools  of  art  are  represented. 

WRIGHT.     HEART   OF   NATURE.     By  Mabel  Osgood  Wright^ 
12mo.     Illustrated. 

This  volume  comprises  "Stories  of  Plants  and  Animals,1' 
"Stories  of  Earth  and  Sky,"  and  "Stories  of  Birds  and  Beasts,^ 
usually  published  in  three  volumes  and  known  as  "The  Heart  ol 
Nature  Series."  It  is  a  delightful  combination  of  story  ana 
nature  study,  the  author's  name  being  a  sufficient  warrant  for  ifl 
interest  and  fidelity  to  nature. 

WRIGHT.     FOUR-FOOTED  AMERICANS  AND  THEIR  KIN.     Bj 

Mabel  Osgood  Wright,  edited  by  Frank  Chapman.     12mcl 
Illustrated,    xv  -f  432  pages. 

An  animal  book  in  story  form.  The  scene  shifts  from  farm  t(\ 
woods,  and  back  to  an  old  room,  fitted  as  a  sort  of  winter  camp,; 
where  vivid  stories  of  the  birds  and  beasts  which  cannot  be  seeij 
at  home  are  told  by  the  campfire,  —  the  sailor  who  has  hunted  thq 
sea,  the  woodman,  the  mining  engineer,  and  wandering  scientist! 
each  taking  his  turn.  A  useful  family  tree  of  North  American 
Mammals  is  added. 

WRIGHT.     DOGTOWN.     By     Mabel     Osgood     Wright.     12mo, 
Illustrated,    xiii  +  405  pages. 

"Dogtown"  was  a  neighborhood  so  named  because  so  manj 
people  loved  and  kept  dogs.  For  it  is  a  story  of  people  as  well  al 
of  dogs,  and  several  of  the  people  as  well  as  the  dogs  are  old  friendsj 
having  been  met  in  Mrs.  Wright's  other  books. 

YONGE.      LITTLE   LUCY'S    WONDERFUL   GLOBE.      By   Charl 
lotte  M.  Yonge.     12mo.     Illustrated,    xi  +  140  pages. 

An  interesting  and  ingenious  introduction  to  geography.  Inj 
her  dreams  Lucy  visits  the  children  of  various  lands  and  thud 
learns  much  of  the  habits  and  customs  of  these  countries. 

YONGE.      UNKNOWN  TO  HISTORY.      By  Charlotte  M.  YongeJ 
12mo.     Illustrated,    xi  +  589  pages. 

A  story  of  the  captivity  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  told  in  the1 
author's  best  vein. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
PrnnvH  hnnlfiiarn  imhjii  i  HI  HfTtiflii  ill  in  recall. 


KB  19  1968  HI 


LD  21A-50m-ll,'62 
(D3279slO)476B 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

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